Cash, Hurd throw gems as Softball completes 10-0 spring trip with wins over New Jersey, Northland

Courtney Cash

By Tim Glon

| New Jersey Box | Northland Box |

CLERMONT, Fla. -- The Ohio Northern softball team wrapped up a perfect 10-0 record on its spring break trip with a thrilling 4-3 victory over the College of New Jersey Saturday morning and a solid 8-0 win over Northland (Wis.) Saturday afternoon.

Northern got outstanding pitching performances from Courtney Cash (5-0) and Lauren Hurd (4-0) in the two victories.

Cash held New Jersey (0-1) to just five hits and retired 14 consecutive batters during one stretch in the first game of the day.

With the Polar Bears up 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh, Cash struck out Rachel Greeby on a 3-2 curve ball with runners on first and second to end the game.

Mandi Fought was 2-for-3 with two runs scored to lead the 8-hit ONU attack.

TCNJ got on the board in the bottom of the first, but Northern tied it in the top of the second at 1-1 when Kim Blewett got hit by a pitch and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Katie Cretin.

Northern made it 3-1 in the top of the third when Mandi Fought led off with an infield single and went all the way to third base on a throwing error by Lions' pitcher Lauren Fitzsimmons and later scored on a wild pitch.

Liz Decima reached on a fielder's choice, stole second and scored on a single by Danielle Goubeaux.

In the top of the fourth, Decima tripled to left field to score Fought, who had walked, to give the Polar Bears a 4-1 advantage.

The Lions scored in the bottom of the sixth on a pair of doubles. But Cash worked out of a two-on, one-out jam to limit the damage and protect the Polar Bears' 4-2 advantage.

TCNJ got within 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh on a leadoff hit batsman, a seeing-eye single through the right side and a sacrifice fly, but Cash closed the door on the rally to preserve Northern's victory. 

Against Northland, Hurd threw a 2-hit shutout, striking out six.

Northern got on the board in the bottom of the first frame on two-out singles by Tina Mangola, Goubeaux and Kim Blewett.

Fought led off the home half of the third with a single up the middle and later scored on a triple by Tina Mangola. Goubeaux plated Mangola on a ground ball to shortstop to give the Polar Bears a 3-0 advantage.

The Polar Bears ended the game by scoring five runs as eight consecutive batters reached base, seven by base hits, after one was out in the bottom of the sixth.

Jackie Mangola started the rally with a 1-out single and went to third on a double by Cretin. A single to left by Cassie Gaye scored Mangola to make it 4-0 and an infield single by Fought scored Cretin to mkake it 5-0.

A single by Decima loaded the bases and a single by Tina Mangola scored Gaye and Fought to put ONU up 7-0. Blewett wrapped up the rally with a single to left to score Decima and Northern had won the game 8-0 by the NCAA's 8-run rule.

Northern will hit the road again next weekend, playing four games at the Ferrum (Va.) Invitational Saturday and Sunday, March 14-15.