Cheatham caps six-run rally in Game 2 for Shawnee State with walkoff single; SSU Softball splits DH with Oakland City (7-4 L, 7-6 W)

WEST PORTSMOUTH, Ohio -- As a person, Emily Cheatham is an optimist -- and one of the most upbeat individuals one can hope to meet in sports.

As a player, Cheatham attacks the game of softball in much the same manner.

So it was no surprise to see the freshman outfielder coming through in a clutch moment when it was her time to shine.

With the game tied at six runs apiece in the bottom of the seventh inning and two outs against Shawnee State in Game 2 of the Bears' doubleheader against Oakland City, Cheatham legged out a single to the right side of the infield -- scoring fellow freshman teammate Emily Moore to allow the Bears to complete a six-run comeback and defeat the Mighty Oaks, 7-6, to grab a split Friday evening at Doc Singleton Park in West Portsmouth.

Game Summaries

Between the two contests, Shawnee State amassed 24 hits as the Bears continued to see the ball well at the plate, hitting .375 to raise its overall batting average to .336 for the 2025 season to date. SSU now sits 34th nationally in that category.

Defensively, the Bears made just one error across both games -- continuing a strong stretch of softball defensively where Shawnee State has committed just three errors over its past eight contests and no more than one in any of its last eight affairs, including five games without a misplay of any kind.

Shawnee State, as a result, is 5-3 during this stretch as the Bears have committed just three errors over their last 205 defensive chances as a team -- which amounts to a .985 fielding percentage.

Game 1

In Friday's opener, Shawnee State, down 7-1 in the sixth inning, attempted to make a late charge as the Bears plated three in the bottom of the sixth frame to make Oakland City sweat out the opening contest between the two teams.

With one out against it, Mackenzie Hale blasted a solo home run to right center field that cut into the deficit and got the momentum cranking back in a positive direction on the Shawnee State side of the coin.

Then, with two out against the Bears in the same frame, Shawnee State made Oakland City pay for a miscue that the Mighty Oaks made earlier in the inning as Sydney Skiver launched an RBI double to score fellow freshman Emily Moore, while freshman outfielding talent Kiera Williams posted an RBI base knock -- turning the 7-1 Oakland City advantage into a much tighter 7-4 salvo heading into the final frame.

Shawnee State then got a leadoff single from Sierra Dunnagan to begin the seventh inning -- but a fielder's choice and a nab of an attempted steal at second base forced the Bears to settle for the three runs that it obtained in the sixth as the Bears fell just shy on the comeback trail.

For the contest, Williams (2-for-2, RBI, run scored), Skiver (2-for-3, double, RBI, run scored) and Dunnagan (2-for-4, RBI) all reached the multi-hit column, while Hale (1-for-4, home run, RBI, run scored), Emily Cheatham (1-for-3), Genavie Espinoza (1-for-3), Jenna Christopher (1-for-4) and Cameryn Davidson (1-for-4) also nabbed a hit in Friday's opener.

Game 2

Outside of a two-out single by Bianca Belo-Diaz that scored Jenna Christopher, who also posted a two-out single and advanced on a passed ball, in the third inning of action, Shawnee State wasn't able to put together a salvo early on in Game 2 as the Bears trailed by a 6-1 margin after three innings of work.

However, after garnering momentum offensively from a fourth-inning walk and a base hit by pinch-hitter Gracey McCullough, the Bears went to work from the top of the order to the bottom from the fifth inning onward.

With the lineup rotating back to the top of the offensive order in Game 2, Sierra Dunnagan got the rally going with a leadoff single before Christopher came through once again with a massive triple to left field as the junior two-hole hitter sped around the basepaths -- not only scoring Dunnagan but setting up Belo-Diaz with a prime opportunity to drive in the latter's second run of the contest, which Belo-Diaz did with her RBI groundout to make the contest a 6-3 ballgame.

Then, with two gone in the same frame, Shawnee State did more damage -- as Emily Moore's double to center field was followed by an RBI single to right by Cameryn Davidson that turned the 6-1 ballgame into a tight 6-4 affair through five innings of work.

While freshman relief pitcher Gabby McConnell continued to thrive in that role in Game 2 -- allowing just two hits over three-and-a-third innings of action -- the Bears did further damage in the sixth, as Kiera Williams utilized a productive at-bat to draw a walk, advanced to second base on a groundout, then scored easily on a RBI base knock that dropped innocently in left field by Dunnagan -- allowing Shawnee State to close the five-run deficit all the way down to a single run, 6-5, heading into the final frame of play.

That, in turn, set the stage for the dramatics that took place in the seventh inning.

After McConnell held Oakland City spotless again, Shawnee State utilized an infield single that Mackenzie Hale legged out to lead off the bottom of seventh inning, then Moore used her speed to leg out another infield single as the Mighty Oaks were caught out of position defensively on a ball that rolled to the right side. Following a sacrifice bunt that moved both Moore and courtesy runner Keegan Uhl into scoring position, Skiver brought in Uhl on an infield grounder that all players ended up being safe on as Uhl's outstretched arms beat the Oakland City throw to homeplate, tying the score at six runs apiece.

While the Mighty Oaks were able to get a strikeout with runners on third and first and two gone in the bottom of the seventh, Cheatham -- who played under Shawnee State head coach Kristen Bradshaw for three seasons prior to Bradshaw accepting the Shawnee State softball coaching position -- stepped up in a big way.

With one swing of the bat, Cheatham's infield hit, which went to Oakland City shortstop Gabbie Countryman, proved to be too daunting to try to throw the speedy Moore out at homeplate -- so Countryman made an attempt to throw out Cheatham, a speedster in her own right, at first. However, Cheatham's wheels proved to be too quick for Countryman as Cheatham legged out the infield single to send the Bears home right with the walkoff base knock.

For the contest, Christopher (2-for-4, triple, RBI, two runs scored), Dunnagan (2-for-4, RBI, run scored), Belo-Diaz (2-for-4, two RBI), Moore (2-for-4, double, two runs scored) and Davidson (2-for-3, RBI) all enjoyed multi-hit outings in Game 2 while Hale (1-for-4), McCullough (1-for-1) and Cheatham (1-for-4, GW RBI single) all reached the hit column as well in the 7-6 thriller.

Additional

With the split, Shawnee State (6-8, 4-4 River States Conference) remains in the top-five of the River States Conference -- as the Bears currently sit in a three-way tie for fifth position. Shawnee State can at least solidify a top-five spot in the RSC Standings if the Bears are able to defeat Brescia (5-9, 4-4 River States Conference) Saturday afternoon in a doubleheader at Doc Singleton Park in West Portsmouth. The doubleheader is slated to begin at 1 p.m.