Game 1 box score: HC 4, SVSU 0
Game 2 box score: HC 9, Ashland 0 (5 innings)
The Charger softball team is out to shock the world, and Friday afternoon, it took a huge step in that direction.
For the first time in school history, Hillsdale College won two games at the GLIAC Tournament. Not only did the Chargers pull that off, they won their first two games, both played Friday in Findlay, Ohio, and won both games by decisive shutouts.
In the first round, freshman pitcher Danielle Stiene set the school's single-season strikeout record, fanning 15 Cardinals en route to the team's 4-0 win. Stiene came back and pitched a five-inning, four-hit shutout in the nightcap, a stunning 9-0 run-rule win over No. 2 seed Ashland University.
Hillsdale advances to the tournament semifinals against top-seeded Wayne State University at noon Saturday. The tournament is double-elimination format, so if the Chargers lose, they will play again Saturday. Should they win, they will play for the tournament championship Sunday, with opponents yet to be determined.
In the first game of the day, Stiene overpowered SVSU, easily shattering the old record of 199 strikeouts in a season, set by Aimee Genter in 2006. She hit that mark and left it in the dust, recording strikeouts on 15 of the 21 outs recorded by SVSU in the game.
Offensively, Sarah Grunert went 2-for-4 while junior Danielle Garceau came through big in the clutch with an RBI double that kept Hillsdale on top with a cushion.
Ashland beat Hillsdale via the NCAA mercy rule when the two teams met in Ohio last month. Led by the vicious hitting of senior Kate Ardrey and sophomore Bekah Kastning, along with another dominant start from Stiene, the Chargers reversed that earlier outcome.
Ardrey, one of four Second-Team All-GLIAC selections from the team, went 3-for-4 with a double, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI. Kastning also had a double, went 2-for-4 and scored 3 runs. Kastning now has 65 hits on the season, the most by any Hillsdale College softball player in 21 seasons.
Stiene struck out 6 batters against Ashland, giving her 21 for the day and 212 for the season. She's the first Hillsdale College pitcher to ever record 200 or more strikeouts in a season.
Sophomore Cassie Asselta added a two-run pinch-hit single to the Hillsdale attack against the Eagles.