Raleigh, North Carolina – In a thriller that came down to the bottom of the seventh, the Oberlin College softball team recorded their first win of the season on Saturday evening. Playing a pair of games to wrap up their competition at the Grand Slam Triangle Classic, the Yeowomen move to 1-3 on the season.
 
Beginning the day against EMU (Eastern Mennonite), Oberlin battled back from 6-1 but ultimately came up short for a 6-4 loss. Olivia Bey earned the start but had a short outing before moving to first base as Sophie Stone came in for relief. Stone threw 6. 2 innings, earning a pair of strikeouts through 91 pitches.
 
Oberlin came out slow, giving up all six runs in the first two innings. Ava Soldo's sacrifice flew out to the right field, bringing Hailey Alspach to the plate for the Crimson and Gold's first score. In the fourth, Grace Gordon knocked own straight up the middle to bring Maya Means and Jess Friedman back to the dugout.
 
Facing a three-run deficit, Bey singled through the right in the bottom of the sixth. With Olivia Gonzalez making her round home, Oberlin sat behind a 6-4 score. In the bottom of the seventh, Alspach notched a lead-off single, but the ensuing three batters came up unlucky as the Yeowomen fell to the Royals.
 
After ending game one, Alspach got game two underway against Randolph with a start in the circle. The junior threw a complete game, notching six strikeouts, five hits, and just two earned runs.
 
In the top of the first, Means hit a sac RBI to bring in Alspach for the first run of the game. Up 1-1, The Wildcats tied it up in the second after sending a double into the right-field gap. After Kailey Dunham singled on an infield pop-up, Gonzalez came in to pinch run. Alexis Croatt and Alspach put down a pair of sacrificial bunts to advance the senior, moving her to third with Roxie Freifeld up to bat. Freifeld singled down the right line, bringing in Gonzalez and keeping the inning alive.
 
Already hot off the first inning RBI, Means wasted no time bombing the ball over the hedges for the Crimson and Gold's first home run of the year. The two-run homer put the Yeowomen up 4-1 in the top of the third.
 
Means continued to light up the batter's box, knocking a fly ball into left field to bring Dunham to home plate. 5-1 on the side of Oberlin, Randolph responded with a trio of runs in the bottom of the fifth. Knowing the Wildcats needed just a run to extend the game into extra innings, the Oberlin infield took care of the business in the final inning, going 1-2-3 to clinch their first victory of the season.
 
"I feel like our junior class really led the team to our first win. We're learning a lot from our mistakes and I'm excited to see where we'll be when we clean it all up." Head Coach Julie Pratt continues, "We have such a profound rookie class, and they'll continue to grow with each game. Ava's had a solid debut in the batter's box, and Alexis has held down the third base corner for the team. Consistency is going to be vital in changing this program, and if we can maintain this consistency, we're going to have a successful season."
 
The Yeowomen have a quick turnaround when they travel west to Winston-Salem to take on the Salem Spirits in a doubleheader tomorrow, March 9. The first pitch is set for 10 a.m., with the second game following at 12 p.m.
 
Fans can keep up with their favorite teams on Instagram, Facebook, X, or TikTok, and watch all the home matches live online. The Crimson and Gold's home broadcasts can be accessed on TV through the official Oberlin College Sports Network app on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.