TIGERS TAKE ANOTHER SPLIT ON DAY TWO OF ROSEMONT TOURNEY

ROSEMONT, Ill. - Similar to day one, the Olivet Nazarene University softball split a pair of games on day two of the Rosemont Tournament. After falling 8-2 to Aquinas in the first game, the Tigers bounced back with an 8-6 comeback win over Concordia (Mich.).

Game One: Aquinas 8, Olivet Nazarene 2

The Aquinas Saints (1-0) jumped on the Tigers for four hits and three runs in the opening frame. The Tigers had a response with a pair of runs in their half of the first, with Haley Dobson knocking a groundout single that plated Zoe Oshiro and pushed Kate Landis to third. in the next at-bat, Landis scampered home on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to one.

That would be the last run the Tigers would score, however, as the ONU offense went dormant for the remainder of the game. The Saints pushed their lead back to three with two more runs in the second, while ONU couldn't muster the offense to close the gap.

Allie Timm was credited with the loss in the 8-2 ONU defeat. Olivia Flinn went 5.1 innings in relief. Dobson recorded the lone RBI for the Tigers.

Game Two: Olivet Nazarene 8, Concordia (Mich.) 6

The ONU offense came back to life in the second game of the day, picking up two quick runs in the top of the first. Oshiro and Landis drew back-to-back walks to start the game before Mallory O'Connor lifted an RBI single to right that put ONU on top. Allie Timm notched an RBI single of her own in the next at-bat that extended the Tiger lead to two.

Concordia put together a four-spot in the bottom of the second and added another run in the fifth to put ONU in a 5-2 hole. The Tigers remained in that three-run deficit until the top of the fifth until Faith Mikos got ONU back on the board with an RBI single. In the next at-bat, starting pitcher Kori Fricke belted her second home run of the season, a two-run shot over the fence in left, that tied the game up.

Gwen Bender broke the 5-5 tie with an RBI single in the top of the sixth. Fricke built on that lead with a two-RBI double in the following at-bat that gave ONU a pair of insurance runs.

Fricke did it all in the 8-6 Tiger win, going 6.2 innings as the starter to pick up the win while leading the offense with four RBIs on two hits. Emily Blucker collected the save in relief.

O'Connor went 3-for-4 at the dish and notched an RBI while Carissa Bombardiere went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate. Dobson scored three runs.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Tigers will wrap up the Rosemont Tournament with two final games tomorrow. They will take on Madonna at 11:15 a.m. before taking on Cleary (Mich.) directly after at 1:30 p.m.

--ONU—

*Contact: Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu