The Hillsdale College softball team started the 2024 season with an impressive win at the Tusculum Round-Robin on Friday in Tennessee, but trailed in the second game when weather intervened and forced an end to play for the day.
The Chargers took a 3-1 win over the host Pioneers in the first contest of the day behind a dominant start from junior and returning All-American Joni Russell on the mound. Russell took a no-hitter deep into the sixth inning and struck out 15 of the 24 batters she faced, including five in a row in the first and second innings, to secure her first victory of the season. On the day, Russell conceded just three hits, one earned run and two walks.
Offensively, Hillsdale recorded 11 hits and put pressure on Tusculum throughout the contest, but also stranded 10 baserunners and spent the first four innings looking for a game-changing timely hit. The Chargers broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fifth, as senior McKenna Eichholz followed up a leadoff double by junior Emma Vis with a single, and Vis scored from second on a throwing error by the Pioneers centerfielder as she tried to get the ball back to the infield.
The Chargers added critical insurance runs in the top of the seventh, Hillsdale strung together four hits to start the inning. Eichholz was the key hit again, putting a ball in play up the middle for a base hit that scored fellow senior Hailey Holtman. In the next at-bat, junior Hannah Hoverman hit a double to left field that scored Vis to give the Chargers a 3-0 lead.
Tusculum attempted a two-out rally in the bottom of the seventh, stringing together two of their three hits and bringing the tying run to the plate. Senior Erin Kapteyn came on for Russell and got the save by inducing a fly-out to end the game and seal a 3-1 victory.
Holtman, Vis, Hoverman and sophomore Maggie Olaveson each finished with a single and a double to lead Hillsdale offensively in the contest, while Eichholz also went 2 for 3 at the plate for the Chargers. Holtman also recorded a stolen base for Hillsdale, and turned a 6-3 double play along with Vis in the bottom of the fourth.
Hillsdale (1-0) picked up the win in their first game of the season, but got off to a tough start in the nightcap, as Tusculum led 10-0 with one out in the bottom of the third after scoring nine runs in that inning so far. Hoverman had Hillsdale's lone hit in the top of the second, a leadoff single, before rain stopped play and forced the postponement of the remainder of the game. Play in the contest will resume at a to be determined time on Saturday, with Hillsdale also scheduled to potentially play two more contests that day. More rain is in the forecast for tomorrow, so stay tuned to hillsdalechargers.com for more schedule updates as they are announced.