Raleigh, North Carolina – The Oberlin College softball team blanked their season opener for the first time in program history as they defeated Elmira 3-0 before clinching a 10-7 victory over Gallaudet in the Grand Slam Triangle Classic. Oberlin starts their 2026 campaign 2-0, marking the first 2-0 start since the 2022 season. 

Securing her first season opener victory as head coach of the Crimson and Gold, Julie Pratt is ecstatic about her team's performance. "We are a new team, and we've talked about the kind of players we need to be to get wins! We are playing to win, and everyone has a role; I'm super excited about our depth this year," Pratt adds.

In game one, Hailey Alspach commanded the mound for all seven innings, registering a career-high 10 strikeouts to launch her senior season.

Alspach struck out Elmira's first two batters to catapult a quick start to the game. Aoife Shen tapped out an Eagle base runner during Elmira's fourth batter, wrapping up the brisk inning to get Oberlin to the batter's box. 

Grounding out to first base in the bottom of the first, Hannah O'Connor's play allowed Haley Carlson to advance to a scoring position, recording one RBI as Anjali Singh scored. Maya Means entered the box next, striking the ball to right field as Elmira's outfielder made the catch, and Carlson elevated the Crimson and Gold to two runs. 

For the next few innings, Oberlin administered a well-executed defense, keeping the Eagles to just one hit. Means returned to the plate at the bottom of the fourth, blasting a hit deep to center field for a double. 

Pinch running for the senior, Caitlyn Crotty advanced to third on a passed ball as Ava Soldo stepped up to the box. The sophomore slammed the ball far into right center, posting the double and RBI as Crotty scored, extending Oberlin's lead to three. 

For the remainder of the game, the Yeowomen kept Elmira to just two hits. Capitalizing on their early batting, Oberlin secured the 3-0 sweep. 

Blanking an opponent for the first time since 2024, the Crimson and Gold carried their momentum into the second game of the day, facing Gallaudet, in which Soldo and Means each produced a home run.

Sophomore Sophie Stone served as Oberlin's opener, pitching for 4.2 innings and notching eight strikeouts while earning two runs. Classmate Olivia Bey tapped in for the relief, earning a trio of runs and a pair of strikeouts. 

With Carlson in scoring position in the top of the first, O'Connor singled up the middle, collecting the RBI as Carlson scored. Moving to second base after a passed ball and stealing third, O'Connor lifted Oberlin to two runs after a sacrifice fly to center field from Means. 

Opening the top of the fourth with an extraordinary hit, Soldo drilled her first career home run to left center to extend the Crimson and Gold's edge to three. Maintaining a 5-0 deficit, Gallaudet first got on the board in the bottom of the fourth with a pair of runs. 

After Oberlin scored four runs in the fifth inning, Means stepped up to the box in the top of the sixth. Slamming the ball to left field, the senior secured her fourth career home run, lifting the Crimson and Gold to double digits. The Bison scored five more runs as Oberlin clinched the 10-7 victory to start the season 2-0.

"Our base running set the tone, and mixed with the power of four players having multiple RBIs, our complete team performance carried us to two wins," Pratt continues.  

Oberlin continues their North Carolina campaign tomorrow, on Saturday, March 7, at Johnson & Wales in a doubleheader. The first game is scheduled for 12 p.m. with the second to follow at 2 p.m. 

Keep up with the Crimson and Gold on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, and watch every home game on the Oberlin Sports Network online or on Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV.