The Hillsdale College softball team entered Saturday's doubleheader at Trevecca Nazarene with both a tremendous challenge and a tremendous opportunity in front of them.
The Chargers handily overcame that challenge to make the most of the opportunity, sweeping the G-MAC-leading Trojans 8-0 and 6-5 to take the top spot in the conference from Trevecca with two weeks remaining in the season.
Hillsdale dominated the first contest behind good hitting and a strong performance on the mound from senior Dana Weidinger. Weidinger picked up her 14th win and third shutout of the season, pitching six innings and scattering eight hits in the contest, with one strikeout and two walks. The senior got a great assist from her defense, as the Chargers committed no errors in the contest and got itself out of several jams in the game.
The Chargers also hit the ball well. Elaine Townley put Hillsdale in front in the top of the second inning with a solo home run, and the Chargers never looked back from there, tacking on 11 more hits and seven more runs.
Senior Madison Stoner continued her hot streak, going 3 for 4 with a RBI double in the top of the third and a RBI single in the top of the fourth. Madison Rathbun and Sarah Wojcik each chipped in a two-run single as well, and Renee Bielawa was 3 for 4 as well. Natalie Stepanenko, Sam Catron and Emma Johnson each chipped in a double in the win for the Chargers.
The second game started off strongly as well for the Chargers, as Hillsdale took a 4-0 lead through three innings. Stepanenko hit a RBI triple, and Johnson and Townley each added a RBI single as well to help the Chargers to the early advantage.
Trevecca battled back, tying the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth on a three-run home run by Carly Sperlich. Tied late in the game, Catron came through once again for the Chargers with a big hit, a double that drove in Stoner to help Hillsdale retake the lead in the top of the sixth, and Bielawa tacked on a critical insurance run with a single in the top of the seventh to give the Chargers a 6-4 lead.
The Trojans made one final push with one out in the bottom of the seventh, driving in a run and loading the bases. Freshman Erin Kapteyn got the job done for the Chargers in a high-leverage situation in relief, inducing a foul-out to first base and a fly-out to centerfield to preserve a crucial victory and earn her first collegiate save.
Stepanenko went 3 for 3 to lead the Chargers at the plate, Catron chipped in two doubles, McKenna Eichholz added a single and a double, and Townley chipped in two hits as well.
Camryn Olson picked up her fourth win of the season, striking out three and walking one in six and a third strong innings to get the Chargers in position.
Now 22-12 overall and 10-2 in the G-MAC, the Chargers hold a one-game lead over the Trojans and a three-game lead over Ohio Dominican with a busy final two weeks of the season on deck. Hillsdale wraps up its southern road trip with a doubleheader against Kentucky Wesleyan on Sunday, looking to hold on to its newly won advantage in the standings.
Photo by Kasidy Carson