Charger softball went 2-2 during its weekend of home competition, improving to a 4-2 record in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. 

On Friday, the Chargers beat the University of Findlay Oilers 1-0 in the first game and fell 8-4 in the nightcap. The next day, they defeated the Tiffin University Dragons 5-2 in their first game and lost 4-3 in the next game.

Head coach Kyle Gross said that the first win against the Oilers ultimately came down to the two team’s pitching abilities. 

“In the Findlay series, we won the first game 1-0 so it was a pitcher’s duel, and we had a couple other chances to score, but luckily we manufactured the first run with a stolen base,” Gross said. “The second game against Findlay we made some costly errors in that game, but we came back and had the lead. They took the lead. We came back and tied it, but then another error changed the score.”

In the series against the Dragons, Gross said that the first game went well and that the Chargers hit well against their opponent, which is known for their pitching staff.

“The game was good as Tiffin had one of the best pitching staffs in the conference coming in, and we scored a lot of runs in there,” Gross said. “Then in the second game, they just scored more than we did. They had a fourth inning home run and then we scored three in the fifth, but just couldn’t get that fourth run across.”

Senior pitcher Joni Russell was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s Player and Pitcher of the Year watchlist. She was also awarded the G-MAC softball Athlete of the Week. 

“This is the first time she’s been added to the watch list, so that’s exciting, and she’s really pitching well right now,” Gross said. “She was injured at the beginning of the season, and she’s fighting through some of that, but still being able to compete at a high level was awesome.”

Sophomore Sydney Davis said the team was high-energy in the first game against the Oilers and that this, along with their defensive skills and Russell’s pitching, contributed to the win. 

“In the first game against Findlay, Joni pitched lights out and the defense played well behind her,” Davis said. “She created lots of opportunities to get outs as well as producing them herself.”

The Chargers will face the Malone University Pioneers at home on April 5 for a doubleheader at 1 pm and 3 pm. On April 6, they play the Northwood University Timberwolves at home at 1 pm and 3 pm. They then play the Lake Erie College Storm away on April 9 at 2 pm and 4 pm. 

“I am excited to continue to get in good games and play and hopefully compete at the top of the conference,” Gross said. “We have Northwood this weekend, which is another top team in the conference, and with us splitting with Findlay and Tiffin, which are arguably two top teams in the conference, our conference tournament is going to be that much more exciting if everybody splits.”

Junior Mackenzie Maxson said that the Chargers are looking to build on what they did well in their wins last weekend.

“We’re talking a lot this week about not just going up to hit, but going up to hit with a purpose,” Maxson said. “Having a set result that we want out of it, versus just wanting success — having a specific type of success.”