HARROGATE, Tenn. – On Sunday, the Ohio Dominican softball team wrapped up their opening weekend at the Lincoln Memorial Invitational. The Black and Gold grabbed two wins, defeating Purdue Northwest, 5-4, and Lincoln Memorial, 8-3.

Leading the way on the day was Emily Walker (Plain City, Ohio) with four hits, including two triples and a double, and six runs batted it. Walker went a perfect 3-3 in the opening game today. Both Kaleigh Golden (Thornville, Ohio) and Alexis Stevens (Marion, Ohio) grabbed four hits through the two games. Stevens added three RBIs and a double.

Lindsey Potter (Plain City, Ohio) grabbed two hits, including a double and an RBI in the second game. Joining her was Alli Madden (Cincinnati, Ohio) who went a perfect 3-3 against the Railsplitters and accounted for two runs.

In the circle, Marlee Jacobs (Plain City, Ohio) started against the Pride collecting five strikeouts while pitching a complete game. Addison Smodilla (Terre Haute, Ind.) picked up a start against the Railsplitters. Smodilla pitched 3.2 innings while striking out one. Grace Hammer (Uniontown, Ohio) came in and struck out six in her 3.1 innings.

Game One
ODU found themselves on top early in the bottom of the opening inning with back-to-back hits from Stevens and Walker, giving them a 1-0 lead. The Panthers added to their lead in the bottom of the third with another triple from Walker. A sacrifice fly from Kendrick Sterling (Crothersville, Ind.) pushed the lead to 3-0.

In the bottom of the fifth, Golden and Stevens tabbed singles while a Walker double drove them both in, growing the Black and Gold's lead to 5-0. The Pride rallied in the top of the next inning plating four runs off four hits, making it 5-4. The Panther's defense stood strong in the top of the seventh to secure them a 5-4 win.

Game Two
Once again, Ohio Dominican started strong, plating two off three hits, including doubles from Stevens and Potter. ODU continued to roll in the next inning with hits from Madden, Golden, and Stevens. The Panthers held a 5-0 lead heading into the bottom half of the inning.

Another Walker RBI came in the top of the fourth inning, growing the lead to 6-0. The Railsplitters finally got on the board in the bottom of the inning scoring two runs on three hits to make it 6-2. The Black and Gold added two more hits in the top of the fifth, resulting in two more runs. LMU added a score in the bottom of the sixth, but couldn't catch up to ODU, giving the Panthers an 8-3 win.

Up Next
Ohio Dominican takes a week off before returning to Harrogate for another invitational at Lincoln Memorial.