BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The No. 17 Olivet Nazarene University softball team welcomed the Warriors of Rochester University to Tiger Park on Saturday for a non-conference twin bill.

Game One: No. 17 Olivet Nazarene 11, Rochester 2 F/5

After Emily Blucker (FR/Galesburg, Ill.) pitched a scoreless half of the first, the Tigers jumped on the board. With two runners on, Miranda Southall (SR/Wilmington, Ill.) crushed a home run over the centerfield wall for a homer making the score 3-0. With two outs, Haley Dobson (JR/Beecher, Ill.) delivered a two-run single as the Tigers jumped out to a 5-0 lead. The Warriors cut the lead to 5-2 after a two-run homer in the top of the third. In the bottom of that inning, the Tigers added another run on a solo home run by Alli Davis (SR/Mount Zion, Ill. ) as the Tigers extended their lead to 6-2.

ONU kept racking up the runs in this game, striking for more runs in the fourth. After Dobson singled, Margaret Landis (FR/Beecher, Ill.) doubled, and Sara Beers (SR/Greenwood, Ind. ) singled to load the bases, Vannah Vaughan (FR/Indianapolis, Ind. ) drew a walk to score Dobson. Southall and Davis both drove in back-to-back runs on groundouts to the second basemen. With two outs and after Kate Landis (JR/Beecher, Ill.) reached on an error, Kori Fricke (SO/Manteno, Ill.) doubled and plated Landis making the score 11-2.

Kayla Hon (SO/Beecher, Ill.) threw a scoreless top of the fifth inning as the Tigers took game one 11-2 in five innings.

Game Two: No. 17 Olivet Nazarene 3, Rochester 2

Unlike the first game of the day, The Tigers and Warriors found themselves in a pitcher's duel. The two teams, through the first four innings, combined for two hits and seven strikeouts. Margaret Landis connected on the lone hit for the Tigers.

The Tiger broke the score column in the bottom of the fifth. Fricke singled to start the inning and was replaced by Kailyn Ngo (SO/Riverside, Ill.) on the base paths. Ngo then advanced to second on a passed ball. With one out, Matti Lanie (JR/Momence, Ill.) singled putting runners on first and third. During Margaret Landis' at-bat, Ngo scored on a stolen base making the score 1-0. Margaret Landis then grounded out and plated Lanie moving the score to 2-0. The Warriors saw a two-run triple in the top of the sixth and tied the game at two.

After the Tigers saw an opportunity go to the way side in the bottom of the sixth, they eventually won the game in the bottom of the seventh on a walk-off single Vaughan as the Tigers won 3-2.

Game Vitals

Finals: Game One: No. 17 ONU 11, RU 2 |Game Two: No. 17 ONU 3, RU 2

Records: No. 17 Olivet Nazarene 8-2 | Rochester: 2-4-1

Location: Tiger Field | Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais, Ill.

Quick Hits

• Southall and Davis both homered in the first game.
• Beers, Fricke, and Dobson each had a multi-hit game in game one.
• Beers, Southall, Vaughan, Fricke all sent in hits in both games.
• In the circle, in her first career start, Blucker pitched three innings and surrendered three hits, two runs, and struck out four in game one.
• In game two, Southall went the distance giving up two runs, eight hits, and picked up three strikeouts.

What's Next?

The No. 17 Tigers travel to Livonia, Mich. for their final non-conference series with Madonna University. First pitch of the doubleheader will be on Thursday, March 25 at 2 p.m. CST.

--ONU—

*Contact: Sam Viebrock, Sports Information Director, stviebrock@olivet.edu