MELBOURNE, Fla. – Olivet Nazarene had its chances but came up short in a pair of tightly contested games Sunday, falling 2-1 to Huntington and 3-2 to Cornerstone at the Space Coast Tournament. The Tigers' pitching staff delivered strong performances, but offensive struggles proved costly as ONU managed just three runs across both games. 

ONU was locked in a pitchers' duel in the opener, with Olivia Saldana and Allie Timm combining for nine strikeouts while limiting Huntington to two runs on nine hits. The Tigers broke through in the fifth when Meegan Randall stole home to give ONU a 1-0 lead. However, the Foresters responded in the seventh, capitalizing on a leadoff triple and a pair of singles to plate two runs. ONU was unable to answer in the bottom half, as Huntington's pitching staff completed a no-hitter to seal the win​

ONU jumped out to an early lead against Cornerstone, with Gwen Bender delivering a two-RBI double in the first inning. The Golden Eagles answered quickly, tying the game in the bottom half before scratching across the go-ahead run in the fourth. The Tigers had chances late but couldn't break through against Cornerstone's pitching, stranding multiple runners over the final three innings. Timm took the loss despite allowing just five hits and striking out five in a complete-game effort​.

Looking Ahead

ONU continues tournament play on Mar. 3rd, with a matchup against Hannibal-LaGrange at 9 a.m. CST.

—ONU—

*Contact Anyssa Hampton, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, ahampton@olivet.edu