WHEELING, W.Va. — Olivia Masoner’s grand slam in the third inning provided all the offense that was needed for University to win the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference 5A Tournament title with a 5-1 victory over John Marshall. The OVAC title is the first in program history.
Trailing 1-0, University sparked a two-out rally in the third inning when Maddie Campbell and Maddie Shaver reached on back-to-back singles. With runners on the corners, Sophia Lehosit was intentionally walked, loading the bases for Masoner. She connected for her third home run of the year, a grand slam to straightaway centerfield.
“I knew. I just told her that they were going to pitch her in and out. I said, ‘Just wait for your pitch’. They weren’t going to walk her. With the bases loaded, they weren’t going to tie the game up,” said University head coach Mindy Parks. “I just told her to be patient. Olivia has a really good eye. She was patient and I just knew she was going to hit it. I wasn’t sure about the grand slam, but I knew she was going to hit it. And that was a bonus for us.”
The Monarchs jumped out to a lead in the second inning. Ella Finley singled and Paislee Babiczuk hit a triple off the base of the wall in right center, allowing Finley to score all the way from first base.
After University won the OVAC 5A Softball title, University head coach Mindy Parks did her best to continue with her postgame interview despite many fun distractions: #wvprepsb pic.twitter.com/8SZ3uSFEMw
— Joe Brocato (@joebrowvm) May 8, 2026
However, those were the last hits that Lehosit allowed. Lehosit retired 18 of the next 20 batters she faced, yielding just a pair of walks. Lehosit allowed two hits, walked three and struck out a dozen batters.
“Sophia is a riseball pitcher. She was definitely getting ahead in the count. I think for Sophia, that’s what was working for her, to get ahead and stay confident and stay up.”
University added an insurance run in the fourth inning. A run-scoring single from Whitney Cox sent Taylor Casino to the plate, extending the UHS lead to 5-1.
Campbell had three of University’s eight hits.
Lily Dijkstra went the distance in the circle for the Class AAA No. 1 Monarchs (23-5). She retired nine of the last eleven batters in the game.
Four seniors are in the starting lineup for the Hawks as they seek a second state title in three years. Regional play begins for the Class AAAA No. 2 Hawks on Tuesday.
“This is my group, the 2024 state championship team. They were sophomores when we won that. Now they have met another milestone, which is super-awesome for them as seniors. They deserve it. They are a great group of girls. We’re getting ready for our regional next week and this is a good momentum shift for us.”