The Tiffin University softball team came into their game against Walsh needing a win so bad they could taste it, and with some late inning heroics they snagged a pair and swept the Walsh University Cavaliers 3-2 and 5-3.
Kelsey Yaratch started game one on the hill for Tiffin. In the 1st, Yaratch surrendered a run to give the Cavs a 1-0 lead. Tiffin responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning. Cassandra Brown led off with a single, and moved to second after Kaitlin Gruenewald drew a walk. Then Jena King hit a high fly ball to dead center field. The center fielder had sunglasses on her visor, but neglected to use them and lost the King fly ball in the sun. This allowed Brown to motor home to tie the game at 1-1.
Walsh regained the lead in the 4th with a single to center field to push home a run to make it 2-1. Tiffin answered in the bottom of the inning. Madison Yanek walked to start the inning and moved to second with a sac bunt by Kailee Flowers. Yanek was delivered to the plate with a Cassandra Brown line drive to center field to knot the game at 2-2.
Neither team could push a run home in regulation, and free softball was needed to decide the victor. Walsh was held off the board in the top of the 8th. On the other hand, Tiffin took advantage of their extra half inning. Kristin Prokopakis reached on an error by the second baseman, and coasted into second on a passed ball. Madison Yanek stepped to the plate with a chance to be the hero, and she basked in the moment. Yanek ripped a single up the middle to plate the winning run.
Sarah Brown picked up the win in relief, throwing 4 innings, not allowing a hit or a run, and punched out 9. At the plate, Cassandra Brown was 2 for 4 with an RBI, and Madison Yanek was 2 for 3 with the game winning RBI.
In game two, Kimmy Reynolds trotted to the mound. She threw 3 shutout innings, giving up only 3 hits, did not walk a batter, and fanned 4.
The Dragons' offense was kept off the board for the first 6 innings, but did threaten throughout the game. Tiffin just couldn't find the clutch hit they needed, but it would come soon enough.
Walsh broke the 0-0 tie with a solo home run in the bottom of the 6th. The Dragons came to bat needing a run to prolong the game, but would get much more.
Michelle Poe's single to center field tied the game, and then the flood gates opened. With the bases loaded and two out, Jena King bounced a softly hit ball up the first base line that was misplayed for an error to score the go ahead run. In the inning, Tiffin scored 5 runs on 4 hits and 2 Walsh errors. The big blow came from Delaney Mixer. Mixer laced a double to the left center field gap to score a pair.
The Cavaliers made it interesting in the bottom of the 7th. Walsh scored 3 runs off of reliever Sarah Brown. Kelsey Yaratch was then called upon to nail down the Tiffin sweep. Kelsey got Walsh to line into a game ending double play to seal a 5-3 victory.
Sarah Brown picks up the win in game two, and Yaratch earns the save. Kristin Prokopakis was 2 for 3 with a run scored. Delaney Mixer had only one hit, but it was a big one that drove home two runs.
The sweep pushes TU to 22-18 overall and 12-9 in GLIAC play.
