Box Scores:  Game 1 vs. Ohio Northern  /  Game 2 vs. Ohio Northern

Running into a hot team is one thing ... playing a hot team on their home field is another challenge all in its own.

Such was the case for John Carroll in dropping a pair of games to the team with the best record in the Ohio Athletic Conference, as Ohio Northern swept Saturday's doubleheader by scores of 6-2 and 4-1 in Ada, Ohio.

In the opener, Ohio Northern scored twice in the first, third innings to fend off the Blue Streaks.

ONU got on the board in the bottom of the first when Tina Mangola drilled a double to left to score two runners .

Mangola then had a hand ij driving in one run and scoring another to put the polar Bears ahead, 4-0, in the third inning.

JCU got a run in the top of the fifth to pull within 4-1 when Erin Riccardi singled home Angela Vistocco with two outs.

Northern scored twice in the bottom of the fifth to increase its lead to 6-1.

JCU tallied its second and final run in the top of the seventh on an RBI single by Jamie Smerdel, but it would not be enough to avert the loss.

In Game 2, the Polar Bears were ahead 1-0 when extra base hits would cause the Blue Streaks some grief. Liz Decima led off with a triple and later scored on a two-out single by Danielle Goubeaux.

Goubeaux then scored on a double to right field by Cassie Gaye.

JCU trailed 4-0 entering the final inning, but broke up the shutout bid when Sam Thompson hit a solo home run, her third of the year.

The losses drop John Carroll's record to 17-7 overall and 6-4 in the OAC. The hard-charging polar Bears move to 19-2 overall and 6-2 in league play.

This was the first time in 2009 that JCU lost both games of a doubleheader.