Akron zips away with 2 of 3 games

by Joe Arnold
Staff Writer

The Ohio softball team's Easter weekend began with a bang but ended with a whimper.

Ohio (25-16 overall, 10-6 Mid-American Conference) won Friday's game 8-0, but lost two games to Akron (13-17, 6-5) in a Saturday afternoon doubleheader, falling 6-1 and 2-0.

The one highlight of the weekend for Ohio was Friday's 8-0 win, which was called after five innings because of the eight-run rule in college softball.

Ohio's Val Wood threw a one-hit shutout, and Erin Chapman led the way at the plate with a 3-for-3 performance. Chapman knocked three runs in on a home run and a triple. She also scored twice.

The Bobcats played well all around, Ohio coach Roanna Brazier said.

"On Friday, we played extremely well," she said. "We pounded out 14 hits and Val one-hit them. We pounded the snot out of the ball and played like we were capable of."

But the Bobcats did not play up to their expectations Saturday.

"We were very disappointed with Saturday's result," she said. "They just outhit and outplayed us. Their pitchers did a great job of shutting us down. We didn't play badly, we just didn't play as well as Akron."

Akron's Tiffany McCoy paced the Zips with a second-inning grand slam that put the Zips up for good. Ohio pitcher Heather Hagen (6-5) took the loss for the Bobcats.

The closest Ohio came to Akron was a score of 4-1 when Lyndsay Eirich singled in the fourth to score Tiffany Bolton.

The Bobcats were not prepared for Akron's offensive barrage, shortstop Crystal Turner said.

"We didn't play like we should have on Saturday," she said. "We were a totally different team. They're not the better team; they just came out fired up, and there was nothing we could really do to stop them. By the end of the game, we were really frustrated with ourselves."

The second game was a defensive battle as Ohio's Kasey Dowd (5-7) and Akron's Lisa Keenan matched each other pitch for pitch. But the Zips came out on top with the 2-0 win.

A bases-loaded, two-run double in the fourth plated the decisive runs for Akron. The two runs were enough for Keenan in the complete game shutout. The Bobcats were held to just five hits.

Despite the losses, Ohio can play with any team in the conference, Brazier said.

"They were definitely the better team today, but compared to the other teams in the MAC, I think we're the best," she said. "We definitely have the best pitching rotation in the conference."

Ohio will test its abilities when it plays host to MAC-rival Kent State at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Ohio Softball Field.