Muskingum Tops Heidelberg in Tiffin

In an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader Muskingum College swept Heidelberg College 5-1, 15-0. The Berg’s lone run of the day came off the bat of Jerrica Sweetnich (Garfield Heights, Ohio / Garfield Heights), who hit a shot over the right field fence in the seventh inning of the first game. Heidelberg drops to 2-10 on the year, 0-2 in the OAC, while Muskingum stands at 10-5 for the season, 2-0 in OAC play.

Heidelberg pitcher Katie Allenspach (Aurora, Ohio / Aurora) held the Muskies scoreless until the fourth inning of play in the first game when Muskingum catcher Kari Hoying hit the day’s first homerun over the centerfield fence, driving in second baseman Debbie Warner from first base. Muskingum scored once more in the fifth and twice in the seventh to take the game, while Sweetnich capped things off for the Berg with her bomb in the seventh.

Allenspach allowed six hits and three earned runs and only walked two in her first appearance on the mound during the day.

The second game got off to a rough start for the Berg, with Muskingum scoring six runs in the first off of ’Berg pitcher Nicole Bachman (Elkhart, Ind. / Elkhart Memorial). Though the Berg recovered and shut Muskingum down in the second, the Muskies came back in the third to score four more runs. Allenspach came in as relief a third of the way into the top of the third. Though she managed to get the Berg out of the inning and keep Muskingums bats fairly quiet in the fourth, a five-run fifth inning halted any hopes of a Heidelberg comeback. Muskingum run-ruled the Berg in five innings of regulation play.

All in all, first baseman Andrea Gerdeman (Ottawa, Ohio / Ottawa-Glandorf) led the Berg with 19 put outs for the day, with shortstop Coree Price (Prospect, Ohio / North Union) contributing nine assists. Sweetnich made contact for two of the Berg’s three total hits, with Gerdeman recording the third.

Heidelberg hits the field again on Sunday, March 30, in a makeup game against Wittenberg College. Play begins at 1 p.m.