AKRON, Ohio – Mission: Repeat - is officially complete.
Hillsdale did it again, replicating a perfect run through the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Softball Championship bracket to earn another trip to the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional.
But this time, the Chargers were the No. 8 seed. No one really expected them to rise from the bottom and finish on top.
Sunday’s 5-2 win at Walsh University over No. 5 seed Cedarville capped a stretch of four straight wins under head coach Kyle Gross’ first trial run at this thing called the conference tournament.
After the final out, the players poured out of the dugout and met by first base to trigger another postseason celebration that was already experienced in the spring of 2018 in Xenia at the Athletes in Action Complex.
Bad weather was the only constant. The top two seeds were out on the first day. Games were reshuffled like a deck of cards as playing conditions became increasingly difficult with saturated surfaces.
Hillsdale managed to navigate a steady course among the uncertainty beating in order No. 1 Ohio Dominican, No. 5 Kentucky Wesleyan, No. 3 Tiffin and No. 4 Cedarville. The Chargers had a target on their back, yet no one could bring them down.
Victoria Addis remained hot at the plate and helped the Chargers solve Great Midwest Pitcher of the Year Morgan Arbogast of Cedarville, who ended up making the final start of her decorated career.
Credit is due to the Yellow Jackets and head coach Wes Rowe with his staff, who survived a gauntlet through the consolation bracket, winning three straight games on Saturday to earn a spot in the championship series.
There just may not have enough left in the tank energy wise for the Yellow Jackets, who pushed across two runs in the third inning. But even then, Cedarville was positioned to make things close in the seventh inning with runners at the corners and one away.
Hillsdale’s Dana Weidinger pitched another gem in the circle to give her team a chance to win. Weidinger’s intimidating iridescent sunglasses were partially concealed beneath a face mask that made her look that much more tough.
The righty scattered seven hits over 6.1 innings pitched and struck out a pair of hitters while facing 26 total batters.
Amanda Marra had an RBI double to the gap in the second inning and sophomore catcher Madison Stoner delivered a big blow with a two-run single with two outs in that same inning.
Hillsdale now anxiously awaits the NCAA Selection Show scheduled for Monday at 10 a.m. ET as the Great Midwest’s automatic qualifier.