St. Louis, Mo., April 9, 2021 – First year Ashley Kennedy hit a seventh-inning walkoff home run to lift the Washington University in St. Louis softball team to a 7-6 win over Fontbonne Friday afternoon at the WU Softball Field.

The win helped the Bears even their record at 7-7 while Fontbonne fell to 7-9. 

Kennedy's homer, her third of the season, helped WashU close the door on a late-game surge by the Griffins after the Bears led by as much as 6-2.

The Bears opened up the scoring with a pair of runs in the first inning on a solo home run by sophomore Tami Wong and a bases-loaded walk by sophomore Eimear Cunningham.

Fontbonne evened the score with two runs in the top of the third before the Bears stormed back with four runs in the bottom of the inning to take their largest lead of the game. Kennedy and Cunningham both knocked RBI singles in the third followed by RBI doubles by sophomore Kayla Nommensen and first year Emily Talkow.

The Griffins slowly climbed back into the game in the late innings, adding a run in the fourth, two in the fifth and one in the sixth to even the score at 6-6 heading into the final frame. Junior pitcher Holly Stoner finally quieted the Fontbonne bats, setting down the Griffins 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh before Kennedy ended the game with one swing to lead off the bottom of the inning.

Kennedy went 2-for-3 from the plate with a pair of RBIs and two runs while junior Nicole Hay went 3-for-4 with a double and a pair of runs. Stoner (4-3) picked up the win after allowing just one run and striking out three in 2.1 innings of relief work.

WashU's doubleheader against No. 7 DePauw scheduled for Saturday has been canceled due to an unfavorable weather forecast. The Bears are back in action on Sunday, April 11, with a road doubleheader at Millikin.