The Charger softball team ventured to Ohio for the second time in three weeks Friday, and left Canton with a split of a GLIAC doubleheader with Walsh University.
Behind a strong pitching performance from sophomore Sarah Grunert, Hillsdale won game one 3-1. Grunert and some of the team's other top hitters had big games in the nightcap, but it wasn't enough in a 6-5 loss.
Hillsdale has now exceeded its win total from a year ago, and is 12-16 overall, and 6-12 in the GLIAC. The team wraps up the road trip by taking on Lake Erie College Saturday afternoon in Painesville.
Grunert picked up the win in the opener by allowing just four hits in seven innings of work on the hill.
The game was tied 1-1 when the Chargers scored two in the sixth to get the lead. Junior Kate Ardrey led off the inning with a single, advancing to third on an error. Sophomore Ainsley Ellison legged out a fielder's choice, then stole second, setting Hillsdale up with runners on second and third with no outs.
Junior Melissa Felkey then delivered a well-executed bunt single that scored both runners, pushing Hillsdale into the lead.
Felkey was 2-for-2 with two runs batted in and a stolen base. Ardrey was 2-for-2 with a run scored, while junior Jessica Day and freshman Kelli Eddie each had a hit in the victory.
The second game saw the Chargers stage a dramatic comeback attempt late that nearly resulted in a win. The team scored four times in the bottom of the sixth, highlighted by freshman Beka Kastning's third triple of the season, which started the rally. She later scored on a single by Ardrey. Ellison followed with a run-scoring double, and Grunert delivered a two-run single to close the gap from 6-1 to 6-5.
Kastning was 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, a run batted in and a run scored in the second game. Grunert lifted her batting average back above .300 by going 2-for-4 with 2 RBI.