The Muskingum softball team will begin its pursuit of the Ohio Athletic Conference Softball Tournament Championship on Thursday, May 9, when the two-seed Muskies play three-seed Baldwin Wallace at 1:00 p.m. Top-seed Mount Union will serve as tournament host. (OAC Softball Tournament site)
The Basics
- Tickets
- Single Day Pass: $15, plus applicable tax and fees
- Tournament Pass: $25, plus applicable tax and fees
- Location – 23rd Street Softball Field – Alliance, Ohio
- Muskingum enters the OAC Tournament as the two-seed and will play three-seed Baldwin Wallace on Thursday, May 9 at 1:00 p.m.
- Mount Union is the top-seed and plays four-seed Ohio Northern at 3:00 p.m.
- The tournament is a double-elimination format, with the tournament champion receiving an NCAA Tournament automatic bid.
Thursday, May 9 – Day One
- Game one: No. 2 Muskingum vs. No. 3 Baldwin Wallace, 1:00 p.m.
- Game two: No. 1 Mount Union vs. No. 4 Ohio Northern, 3:00 p.m.
Friday, May 10 – Day Two
- Game three: Winners of game one and game two, 11:00 a.m.
- Game four: Loser of game one and game two, 1:00 p.m.
- Game five: Winner game four vs. Loser game three, 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 11 – Day Three
- Game six: Winners of game three and game five, 11:00 a.m.
- Game seven: If necessary, same teams as game six
Muskingum – Inside the Numbers
- Sophomore Cara Taylor finished the regular season with a batting average of .421 to lead the Muskies. Taylor posted 35 runs, 53 hits, nine doubles, two triples, 15 RBIs, and 26 stolen bases.
- Senior Kalie Eshelman helps power the Muskie bats as she holds a batting average of .357. She contributed 29 runs, 41 hits, 11 doubles, three triples, three home runs, 18 RBIs, and five stolen bases.
- Sophomore Sadie Smith led the Muskies in RBIs with 33. Smith has a .305 batting average and has tallied 23 runs, 32 hits, 13 doubles, two triples, and five stolen bases.
- Senior Madelyn Thomas led the Muskies in the pitching circle. She started 17 games and registered a 12-3 record. Thomas struck out 104 opposing batters and has an ERA of 1.45.
- Freshman Tareyn Born posted a 9-4 record. Born pitched a total of 81 innings, with 52 strikeouts, and ended the season with a 2.51 ERA.
Earlier this season against Baldwin Wallace | Game one | Game two
- The Muskies took game one with a 2-0 shutout and took game two with a final of 2-1.
- In game one, the Muskies finished with two runs, five hits, and two RBIs.
- Sophomore Cara Taylor led the Muskies with two RBIs and a double. Senior Madelyn Thomas stood in the pitching circle. Thomas finished with seven strikeouts and only allowed five hits.
- Muskingum posted two runs, six hits, and two RBIs in game two. Sophomore Cara Taylor went 2-for-3 and scored a run.
Earlier this season against Ohio Northern | Game one | Game two
- Game one went into eight innings with a final score of 3-2; in game two, the Muskies lost 6-1.
- In game one, the Muskies finished with two runs, six hits, two RBIs, and a stolen base. Sophomore Sadie Smith went an efficient 2-for-3 with an RBI double. Sophomore Cara Taylor went 2-for-4 with a run and a stolen base.
- In game two, the Muskies scored a run, had eight hits, an RBI, and stole a base.
- Freshman Elizabeth Wauford led the Muskies with her two doubles to left-center field. Wauford went 2-for-3 from the plate. Sophomore Cara Taylor added two hits as she went 2-for-4 with her appearances in the batter’s box. Taylor also recorded a stolen base.
Earlier this season against Mount Union | Game one | Game two
- The Muskies slipped 8-4 in the opener and responded with a dominating 5-0 win in game two.
- The Muskies recorded four runs, seven hits, and one RBI. Freshman Kenzie Standerfer led the Muskies with two hits, a double, and one run. Senior Kalie Eshelman went 2-for-4 with one run.
- In game two, the Muskies scored five runs on eight hits and had four RBIs. Senior Kalie Eshelman led the Muskies with a home run, two runs, and an RBI. Senior Madelyn Thomas was sensational, pitching all seven innings, throwing 81 pitches with 55 strikes. Thomas held Mount Union to three hits and recorded four strikeouts.