TIGERS SPLIT ROAD TRIP AT VITERBO

LA CROSSE, Wis. – In a tale of two games, Olivet Nazarene University's softball team combined efficient pitching with timely hits to secure a 2-0 win in Game 1 before falling 6-3 in Game 2 to Viterbo University on Friday afternoon. Behind a dominant outing in the circle and clean defensive execution in the opener, the Tigers claimed their first conference win of the season but couldn't string together enough offense in the second game to complete the sweep.

In the opener, Timm tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing just two hits while striking out five and walking none. ONU did all its damage in the second inning. After an RBI double from Kahiwa Ili put the Tigers on the board, Meegan Randall added a sacrifice fly to score another. Faith Mikos and Timm also notched doubles as ONU scattered five hits across the game. The Tigers' defense backed Timm by stranding a pair of V-Hawk baserunners and executing two key outs on the bases in the early innings.

Game 2 saw the Tigers jump ahead early with an RBI double from Gwen Bender in the first, but Viterbo responded with a four-run second inning and never looked back. A two-run homer from the V-Hawks capped the rally. ONU chipped away with an RBI single from Randall in the fourth and a sacrifice fly from Bender in the seventh, but the V-Hawks' offense proved too much. Mikos led the way with a 2-for-2 performance, while Ili, Oshiro, and Randall each added hits. Olivia Saldana took the loss in the circle, allowing four earned runs in 3.1 innings of work.

Looking Ahead

ONU returns to action at home on Apr. 5th, hosting St. Ambrose University for a conference doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. CST.

—ONU—

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