SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – The Urbana University softball team picked the right time to peak. A doubleheader sweep on the regular season's final day helped Urbana earn the 3-seed entering this week's D-II Ohio Independents' Championship, and on Friday afternoon, the Blue Knights captured the OIC crown after a dominant 4-0 run through the double-elimination tournament.
Over their 4-game run, Urbana outscored its opponents 24-5. The Blue Knights defeated the top-seeded hosts from Notre Dame College 6-2 early on Friday to reach the finals, where they dispatched second-seeded Walsh University 7-2.
Like they did in Game 1 on Thursday, Urbana advanced largely thanks to the performances of one dominant pitcher and one dominant hitter. Thursday’s heroes were starting pitcher Lauren Anderson and sophomore slugger Ashley Skinner. Anderson shut out the opposition while Skinner drove in all the runs.
On Friday against top-seeded Notre Dame, pitcher Haley Kolmerten and catcher Megan Risner stepped into those roles. Kolmerten cruised for 5 innings, shutting out the Falcons while allowing just 3 hits.
Down 3-0 in the sixth, the host Falcons finally scored an unearned run, but the Blue Knights, behind Risner, put the game away with a 3-run seventh inning. With runners on first and third and one out, Risner cleared the bases with a triple. She later scored on a wild pitch, ending her day 3 for 4 with 2 runs and all 4 of Urbana’s RBIs.
The Falcons doubled their hit total with 3 base knocks in the bottom of the seventh, but Kolmerten closed out her complete game victory after Notre Dame scored their first earned run of the game. The win was the 20th of her career, moving her into fourth place all-time at UU after just 2 complete seasons.
Second-seeded Walsh knocked Notre Dame out in the next game by a score of 7-0, advancing to the Championship Game to take on third-seeded Urbana. On Thursday afternoon, Urbana dealt Walsh a 2-0 shutout loss. The rematch would be even better.
Urbana struck first. Leadoff hitter Chelsea Riley drew a walk to begin the game. Brooke Shultz and Ashley Skinner sacrificed outs for moving Riley to third, and Heather Hakola singled in the early run.
Walsh manufactured runs in the bottom of the first and third innings to take a 2-1 lead. Starting pitchers Lauren Anderson and Erin Ebert kept it that way until the sixth inning.
Through the first five innings, the only hit Ebert allowed was Hakola's first inning single. Shultz snapped a streak of 13 straight hitless at-bats with a leadoff infield single in the top of the sixth. She advanced to third on Hakola's 1-out double that chased Ebert from the game.
Reliever Kelsey Ford induced a pop-up and was one out away from preserving the 2-1 lead when Bridgette Barney doubled down the left field line. Shultz and Hakola scored, returning the lead back to the Blue Knights. Alisha Crosier followed Barney's double with another one down the right field line to put Urbana on top 4-2.
With the lead, Anderson got into some trouble in the bottom of the sixth. Kolmerten, the Blue Knights' Game 1 starter, relieved Anderson and pitched Urbana out of a 2-on-with-1-out situation.
Energized, Urbana tacked on 3 more runs, all with 2 outs, in the top of the seventh. Hakola drove in her second run of the game with her second double, and Risner's 2-run double to right-center iced it. Kolmerten closed out the win to earn her second save in as many days, and Anderson earned her team-leading 12th win.
Urbana ended its season on a 6-game winning streak, including 4 wins in 3 days in the OIC Tournament. The Blue Knights and second-year Head Coach Danielle Lowe finished 24-26, improving their win total by 9 games over a season ago. Walsh ended its season with an overall record of 36-18. [Game 1 Box Score][Game 2 Box Score][Final OIC Tournament Bracket]