AKRON, Ohio – On Wednesday afternoon, the Ohio Dominican softball team began the 2024 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Softball Tournament. The #3 Black and Gold fell to the #6 Yellow Jackets of Cedarville, 3-0 in the opening round.

The Panthers struggled at the plate, collected only two hits in the game. Olivia Congleton (Belpre, Ohio) broke up CU's no-hitter with a single to center field. Alexis Stevens (Marion, Ohio) was the only other player to snag a hit.

In the circle, Addison Smodilla (Terre Haute, Ind.) pitched 4.1 innings. The graduate student struck out three batters, allowing her to surpass 200 career strikeouts in the process. Grace Hammer (Uniontown, Ohio) pitched 2.2 innings, collecting one strikeout.

How It Happened
Cedarville got things started early after two doubles plated two runs in the first inning. They added another double in the top of the third inning. In the top of the fifth, the Yellow Jackets scored another run off two hits, including a double to right field, making it 3-0.

The Panthers tabbed their first hit in the bottom of the fifth as Congleton singled to center field. A sacrifice bunt from Alli Madden (Cincinnati, Ohio) moved her to second but that's as far as she got. In the bottom of the seventh, Stevens snagged an infield single, but Cedarville ended the game with a double play, resulting in an ODU loss.

Up Next
The Black and Gold will return to Firestone Stadium Thursday morning as they will battle the #2 Chargers of Hillsdale at 10:00 AM in an elimination game.