Oberlin College Athletics

Oberlin, Ohio - The busy weekend for the Oberlin College softball team ended on Sunday afternoon with the Yeowomen splitting a doubleheader with the visiting Chatham University Cougars. Oberlin fell 4-3 in game one but bounced back with a 4-0 victory in the nightcap.

Senior Katie Austin put together her best start of the season in the shutout victory, allowing just three hits while going walk-free to accompany her five strikeouts. The San Diego, California, native locked down her first win of the season, inducing nine flyball outs and seven ground ball outs over 101 pitches of work. 

Chatham's Victoria Murren matched Austin through the front four innings, keeping Oberlin off the board, but the Yeowomen would breakthrough for the game's first run in the home half of the fifth as senior Mia Brito poked a two-out bases-loaded single into left field that scored Wren Norris. 

After a shutdown inning by Austin in the top of the sixth, the Yeowomen went right back to work in the bottom of the frame, tacking on three more runs. A first-and-third double steal resulted in the initial run coming in and Norris later followed with a fielder's choice that sent Austin across the dish. The final Oberlin tally would come courtesy of Jess Friedman as she sent an RBI single back up the middle to score rookie Samantha Pinedo. 

Oberlin finished with nine hits and nine stolen bases in the victory. Friedman, Pinedo, and Alaina Di Dio had two hits apiece in the win. 

Hailey Alspach matched a season-high eight strikeouts in the lid-lifter and certainly delivered a better fate as just two of her four runs allowed were earned after sprinkling seven hits and two walks in what was her sixth complete game of the season. 

The Cougars scratched out a single tally in the first before taking advantage of two Oberlin errors to add on two more runs in the top of the third to claim a 3-0 lead. 

It was 4-0 heading in the bottom of the fifth when the Oberlin bats came to life. A run-scoring single down the left-field line by Austin scored pinch runner Gina Lombard and the train rolled on with a bases-loaded RBI single into left from Pinedo that cut the lead in half. A fielder's choice run-producing ground out by Norris trimmed the gap down to one, but unfortunately, the inning would come to an end with two runners in scoring position. 

Oberlin had a pair of hits in the sixth but couldn't get anything across after Di Dio was gunned down trying to steal third base. OC would then go down in order in the seventh, allowing the Cougars to hang on for the win.

Both teams had seven hits in the game, with Brito accounting for two of Oberlin's total.

Oberlin's homestand continues on Thursday when John Carroll University comes to town for a 3:30 p.m. twinbill.