Grit, Grind, and a Walk-Off: Hilliard Davidson Softball Kicks Off 2025 with a Bang

Hilliard — Saturday’s season opening doubleheader demonstrated the exact reason why Hilliard Davidson softball is going to be dangerous in 2025: Experience, grit, and determination.

Battling strong winds and cold temperatures, Hilliard Davidson came out swinging in their season opener, cruising to a dominant 13-1 victory over Bishop Ready.

Despite a rocky start that saw the Lady Knights plate an early run on an RBI double, Molly Dennis quickly settled in and took control in the circle. The senior was nearly untouchable the rest of the way, allowing just one more hit while racking up nine strikeouts.

The Lady Wildcats’ bats wasted no time making a statement. Ellen Adams and Mackenzie Buzzard both launched home runs, with Buzzard also legging out a triple. In total, Davidson hammered four triples and eight stolen bases in the game, using their speed and aggressive baserunning to put constant pressure on Ready’s defense.

Hilliard Davidson had to dig deep in their second game of the day against Dublin Scioto. After surrendering a leadoff home run and falling behind 1-0, the Lady Wildcats wasted no time responding. In the bottom of the second, the first three batters reached base, loading the bases with no outs.

The pressure mounted on the Scioto infield as defensive miscues proved costly: an error, a passed ball, and a wild pitch allowed three Davidson runners to cross home. Molly Dennis then delivered the finishing touch on the rally, ripping a two-RBI single to push the Wildcats’ lead to 5-1 after two innings. “We know that our best aspect is probably our hitting,” Coach Katie Speakman remarked, “and we talk about winning every inning; that came out in the second inning.”

Dublin Scioto mounted a response, narrowing the deficit to 5-4 in the third inning, but Davidson quickly countered when Caitlin Aleshire laced an inside-the-park home run to lead off the bottom half, pushing the Wildcats’ advantage to 6-4. In the fourth, Molly Dennis added another RBI single, extending Davidson’s lead to 7-4 over the Lady Irish.

However, the advantage wouldn’t hold for long as Scioto stormed back in the fifth inning, scoring four runs to retake the lead, then tacked on another in the sixth to make it 9-7. Davidson wasn’t done yet, though, as Erin O’Grady responded with an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth, trimming the deficit to 9-8 heading into the final inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, Mackenzie Buzzard and Ellen Adams both reached base to start the inning. A perfectly executed double steal ensued, with Adams’ stolen base attempt at second drawing the defensive attention, allowing Buzzard to race home from third and tie the game.

With Adams on third and two outs, Kendall Manos sealed the game for Davidson, lining a ball past the third baseman to bring Adams home, walking off with a thrilling 10-9 win over Dublin Scioto and completing the opening day sweep. Coach Speakman was pleased with the team’s response, noting, “We have an experienced team that knows what it takes to come back from a deficit. It is experience and confidence that kept us in it and winning.”

Looking ahead, Coach Speakman remains optimistic about the team’s potential: “We want to compete for a district championship every year, and that is where we are looking to get,” she said. “We want to be in the top tier of the OCC and be at the top of our game in these non-conference games.”

Hilliard Davidson (2-0) hosts Reynoldsburg on Tuesday afternoon in Hilliard.