The Hillsdale College softball team came through when it counted in a must-win situation in the final home game of the season on Friday.
A walk-off single in extra innings gave the Chargers a 2-1 victory over ODU in the second game of the day, and salvaged a crucial split after the Panthers took a 3-0 win in the opener.
With the score tied at one-all in the bottom of the eighth, Hillsdale's Natalie Stepanenko hit a grounder to the shortstop and beat the throw to first to give the Chargers a runner. A sacrifice bunt by Olivia Latimer and a groundout by Elaine Townley moved Stepanenko from first to third, and Madison Stoner drew a walk and Madison Rathbun was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
That brought junior Jenna Cantalupo to the plate, and Cantalupo delivered the game-winning hit with two outs, hitting a hard ground ball through the gap to score Stepanenko from third and walk off for the victory.
Cantalupo's game-winning hit brought to a close a tense and well-played contest. Both teams were scoreless through four complete innings as both defenses proved to be tough to crack. Hillsdale struck first in the fifth inning, after senior Reagan Gensiejewski drew a walk with two outs and then stole second base. That put her in scoring position for McKenna Eichholz, who singled to right field for the Chargers' first hit of the game to drive in the first run by either team.
Ohio Dominican strung together three singles in the top of the sixth to plate a run and tie the game, but Hillsdale refused to bend further, stranding a ODU runner in scoring position in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to set up Cantalupo's game-winning hit.
Erin Kapteyn (12-2) pitched an excellent game to record the win for the Chargers, going all eight innings with four strikeouts, two walks and just one earned run conceded. Stepanenko led the Chargers at the plate in the victory, going 2 for 3 as Hillsdale pulled out the victory despite being outhit 7-4 by ODU.
The Chargers were also highly competitive in the first game, holding the Panthers scoreless through five innings, but Hillsdale couldn't muster the offense it needed to take advantage, and ODU seized on a Charger error in the top of the sixth inning to manufacture two runs.
ODU added an insurance run in the top of the seventh, and although the Chargers got runners to second and third in the bottom of the seventh inning in an attempt to rally, the Panthers turned a double play to end the game.
Freshman Joni Russell was the hard-luck loser in the first game for Hillsdale despite a virtuoso performance that would be enough to get the win on most days. Russell struck out 10 batters with just one walk, scattered four hits and gave up just two earned runs in a seven-inning outing.
Rathbun went 2 for 3 at the plate to lead Hillsdale in the loss, as the Chargers outhit the Panthers 6-4 but were unable to capitalize on runners in scoring position in four of the seven innings.
Hillsdale is now 29-18 overall, 17-2 in the G-MAC, a half-game behind Ohio Dominican in first place after the split. The Chargers can still claim the crown with a sweep of Findlay on the road tomorrow and an ODU split with Tiffin. Even if the Panthers sweep to claim the title, Hillsdale can still lock up second place and a guaranteed first-round bye in the G-MAC Tournament next weekend with a sweep of the Oilers.
Photo by Isabella Sheehan