The Oberlin College softball team notched their first win of the season in dramatic fashion, defeating Randolph College 5–4 to close out their competition at the Grand Slam Triangle Classic in Raleigh, NC. After a tough loss to Eastern Mennonite University earlier in the day, the Yeowomen regrouped and put together a well-rounded performance to earn their first victory of the year, improving to 1–3 on the season.
In the opening game against EMU, Oberlin found themselves in an early hole, trailing 6–1 after the first two innings. First-year Olivia Bey took the start in the circle but struggled to find her rhythm, prompting Head Coach Julie Pratt to call on first-year Sophie Stone in relief. Stone responded with an impressive effort, throwing 6.2 innings of scoreless ball while striking out two on 91 pitches.
Despite the early deficit, the Yeowomen fought back. First-year Ava Soldo got Oberlin on the board with a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring third-year outfielder and pitcher Hailey Alspach. Second-year first baseman Grace Gordon followed with a clutch hit up the middle in the fourth inning, driving in third-year infielder Maya Means and fourth-year outfielder Jess Friedman to close the gap.
Later, Bey singled through the right side in the sixth, allowing fourth-year pinch runner Olivia Gonzalez to score and cut the deficit to 6–4. The Yeowomen had a chance to complete the comeback in the seventh after Alspach led off with a single, but three quick outs sealed their fate as they fell short against the Royals.
Determined to turn the day around, Oberlin came out strong in their second game against Randolph. Alspach took the circle and delivered a masterful complete-game performance.
The reigning All-NCAC second-team standout recorded six strikeouts, allowed just five hits, and gave up only two earned runs to anchor the Yeowomen’s defense.
Oberlin wasted no time setting the tone. In the top of the first, Means drove in Alspach with a sacrifice fly to give the Yeowomen an early 1–0 lead. Randolph responded quickly, tying the game with a double into the right-field gap in the second inning. Oberlin regained control in the third with some smart small ball. Third-year Kailey Dunham reached on an infield pop-up, prompting Gonzalez to pinch run. Back-to-back sacrifice bunts from first-year Alexis Croatt and Alspach advanced Gonzalez to third. Second-year Roxie Freifeld then came through with a single down the right-field line, scoring Gonzalez and keeping the rally alive. Means provided the spark Oberlin needed in the next inning. Coming off a strong weekend at the plate, she crushed a two-run homer over the outfield hedge, the team’s first home run of the season, to extend Oberlin’s lead to 4–1. Means stayed hot in the fifth, driving in another run with a fly ball to left field, bringing Dunham home and putting Oberlin up 5–1.
Randolph mounted a late comeback attempt, scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth to close the gap to 5–4. But Oberlin’s defense stepped up when it mattered most. The infield took care of business in the bottom of the seventh, going 1–2–3 to shut down the Wildcats and secure the victory.
After the game, Pratt reflected on the team’s ability to bounce back from the earlier loss.
“We just needed to stay focused and continue doing all the things we have practiced,” Pratt said. “That’s exactly what we did against Randolph — we stayed sharp and trusted the process.”
Pratt went on to acknowledge the team is still working through some early-season mistakes but is optimistic about the progress.
“I think if everyone can settle in on defense, we will be unstoppable,” Pratt said. “There are times we have seven new players on the field in new positions, so it’s going to take some time to adjust. But if we stay consistent, we have the potential for a very successful season.”
