PORTSMOUTH – History will have to wait until this at least this weekend as Georgetown denied Shawnee State softball head coach Ralph Cole his 600th career victory with a 3-0 win in game one, followed by a 3-2 walk-off victory in the second game. These two MSC battles were the Bears' first action of the year. Cole and the Bears will now have four shots at win No. 600 this weekend when they open up at home against Lindsey Wilson and Cumberland University.
Allie Chapman (JR, Chesapeake, Ohio) was called on to start the season opener for the Bears and set the Tigers down in order to start the game. She went on to strike out the first two hitters of the next inning, but Shelby Engle stopped that streak at five straight retired with a home run over the field fence on a 1-2 count. The next batter was then hit by pitch and came around to score after a single was misplayed in the outfield, making the score 2-0.
Sandy Young, the same Georgetown runner who scored the second run of the game, added another run to the scoreboard in the fourth inning. After reaching on a fielder's choice, she was doubled home by Kelsey Krueger to make it 3-0 after four innings.
That would be more than enough offense for the Tigers' starter, Kayla Williams. The Bears had just three hits in the opening game and never had multiple runners on in the same inning. Only twice did the Bears have a runner on second base and both of those situations came with two outs. Chapman was charged with the loss after going six innings and allowing seven hits, while also striking out seven. She did not walk a batter and was tagged with two earned runs.
In game two, it was Shawnee State that struck first as Hannah Dittoe (SO, Pickerington, Ohio) led off the top of the second inning with a solo home run on a 2-2 count. Her home run that went over the right field fence was the 11th of her career. She is already tied for seventh in program history with that home run total just beginning her sophomore season.
The Bears would add their second run of the game in the top of third inning. Kirsti Yates (SR, Chillicothe, Ohio) kept the frame alive with a two-out single and came around to score on an RBI double from Abbey Barrett (SR, Franklin Furnace, Ohio) to make it 2-0.
Bears starter Tara Prater (SR, Hilliard, Ohio) allowed just four hits over the first four innings to hold the Tigers' offense off the scoreboard early on, but Georgetown broke through and tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. A walk and bunt base hit put the first two runners aboard. That set the table for Chelsae Osborn, who doubled home those two runners with nobody out to tie the game. Prater would bounce back though and got the next three batters to ground out to escape further damage.
Both teams went down in order in the sixth. With two in the SSU seventh, Yates doubled to right field but a ground out would end the top half. After a groundout to start Georgetown's last at-bats, Chelsea Riney tripled to center field and was driven in on a single by Taylor Shaw during the next at-bat to give Georgetown the walk-off victory.
Softball will open its home slate this Friday at home against No. 11 Lindsey Wilson. That doubleheader is scheduled to get underway at 3 p.m. at Boone Coleman Field.
