Softball Sweeps Walsh At Home, Moves Win Streak To Six

The Ashland University softball team earned its second Great Midwest Athletic Conference home sweep of the week on Friday (March 21) afternoon, topping Walsh 3-0 and 7-1 at Deb Miller Field at the Archer Ballpark Complex.
 
Those wins move the Eagles to 14-8 overall and 4-0 in the league, and keep them tied atop the conference standings in the early going thanks to their best-ever beginning to G-MAC play. AU also has won six straight games overall – the program's longest such streak since taking seven straight in 2019.
 
"We're going out there, and we're having fun, which is good to see," said Ashland head coach Jackie Price. "They're owning the roles they are given, and the team chemistry right now is awesome."
 
The scoreless tie in Game 1 was broken in the bottom of the third inning, when junior center fielder Ashley Veldheer doubled, stole third base and came home on the ensuing throwing error.
 
"As soon as she's on, she's at home, and that's the way we like it," Price said. "It's great to have that speed. It kills. And it's hard to stop."

After senior pitcher Bryn Grabowski stranded two Cavaliers after they got on with one out in both the fourth and fifth frames, the Eagles extended their lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI ground out from senior designated player Cassidy Shaffer and a run-scoring double by sophomore catcher Delaney Keith.
 
Grabowski (4-4) twirled a complete-game six-hit shutout in the opener, striking out 10 and walking one. That lowered her season earned-run average to 1.74.
 
In Game 2, the Eagles struck for the first two runs in the bottom of the second on a Cavalier (4-14, 0-4) two-out error. Then, in the third, AU tacked on four more when Keith delivered an RBI single, sophomore third baseman Sophia Martin added a successful squeeze bunt, and sophomore left fielder Maren Metikosh roped a two-run double.
 
In the fifth, junior shortstop Amanda Kolar lifted a sacrifice fly, then Walsh got on the board for the first time on the day with a sac fly in the sixth.
 
MORE STRONG PITCHING…AND THE REST OF THE STORY

• In the nightcap, junior pitcher Delaney Lis (6-2) authored a complete-game three-hitter, allowing an unearned run and a walk and whiffing four.
• "Our biggest thing with them (Grabowski and Lis) was working ahead and getting them where they needed to be, and then using their better pitches to get people to chase," Price said. "We have a good pitching staff behind them, so we're able to make those changes, if needed, but if they can show us that they can do it, we're going to leave them in and let it ride."
• With a first-game stolen base, junior second baseman Danielle Robbins now has 55 in her career – eight away from tying Sunny Litteral (63) for the most in program history.
• In Game 1, both Robbins and sophomore right fielder Delaney Maynard each had two hits. Metikosh delivered two hits and two RBIs in Game 2.

UP NEXT
Saturday (March 22) at noon at Cedarville (8-17, 3-1).