Mangola's 3-run home run leads No. 24 Softball past Mount Union 11-5 in game 5 of OAC Tournament

By Tim Glon

ADA -- Senior All-American Jackie Mangola drilled a 3-run home run to lead No. 24-ranked Ohio Northern past Mount Union 11-5 in game five of the 2012 Ohio Athletic Conference Softball Tournament Saturday morning at the ONU Softball Field.

The top-seeded Polar Bears improve to 26-10, while the fourth-seeded Purple Raiders are eliminated and end their season at 21-20.

Northern will now face second-seeded John Carroll in the championship game at approximately 2 pm. The Polar Bears need to defeat the Blue Streaks twice to win the title, while JCU will win the tournament crown with one victory.

The OAC Tournament champion receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

The Polar Bears batted around in the top of the first to take a 3-0 lead.

Senior All-American Kimi Blewett drilled a 2-run double and senior Cassie Gaye followed with an RBI single to get ONU off to its quick start.

Mount Union scored an unearned run in the bottom of the third to pull within 4-1.

Mangola homered in the top of the fourth, extending her ONU career record total to 45, to put the Polar Bears in control up 7-1.

The Purple Raiders answered in the bottom of the fourth with a pair of 2-out, run-scoring singles to make it a 7-3 game.

Northern tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the top of the sixth, keyed by an RBI single from junior Ashley Sujkowski.

MtU got two runs in the home half of the sixth to get within 9-5, but a 5-3-2 double play ended the threat with the Polar Bears holding a four-run advantage.

Mangola and senior Katie Cretin had back-to-back RBI singles in the top of the seventh as ONU rebuilt its lead to 11-5.

Junior Katy Newman went the distance to earn the victory for Ohio Northern and improve to 10-4 on the season.