AKRON, OH - To open the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament, the Panthers advanced past the first round by run-ruling the No. 7 Ursuline Arrows, 8-0, in six innings inside Firestone Stadium.
Offensively, the Panthers produced 13 hits across six innings, driving in seven RBIs. In the circle, freshman Alyvia Lawrentz made her G-MAC Tournament debut in dominant fashion, tossing a complete-game shutout. She allowed just four hits while striking out eight on 93 pitches, earning her 15th win of the season.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the second inning, when ODU broke through with two runs. Saadie Maysonet sparked the rally with a double to left-center field, followed by a single from Kendrick Sterling that advanced her. Emma Grau then delivered an RBI single to bring Maysonet home for the game's first run. Erica Massey capped the inning with a groundout that plated Sterling for a 2-0 lead.
ODU added to its lead gradually. In the fifth inning, Sterling doubled down the left-field line for an RBI, scoring Halina Schulte, who had reached on a fielding error, to make it 3-0. Moments later, Evan Platfoot scored the fourth run after stealing home while serving as Sterling's pinch runner.
The Panthers sealed the run-rule victory in the sixth inning with a four-run outburst. With one out, Massey tripled to right field, setting up an RBI bunt single by Olivia Congleton. Lilly Irvine followed with an RBI single to right-center field, marking her return from injury. To close out the game, Maysonet delivered a two-RBI double to left-center, scoring Ibarra and Mueller to secure the 8-0 win.
At the plate, two Panthers were perfect: Kendrick Sterling went 3-for-3 with an RBI, while Saadie Maysonet finished 2-for-2 with two RBIs. As pinch hitters, Leea Ibarra and Lilly Irvine each went 1-for-1, with Irvine adding an RBI.
With The Win
The Panthers advance to the second round, where they will face #3 Ashland University at 3 p.m. on Field 2. In other news, the Panthers also earned a spot in the Midwest Division II regional rankings, coming in at No. 10.
