COLUMBUS – Paige Atterholt fired a perfect game, helping the Heidelberg University softball team salvage a split with Capital University on Saturday. After dropping a late lead in game one and falling 8-7, the Student Princes pounded the Crusaders in the nightcap, 14-0.

The split moves Heidelberg to 21-5, 10-2 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Capital's record stands at 19-8, 10-2 in the conference. The two teams remain tied atop the conference standings with three doubleheaders to play.

PERFECTION: Atterholt retired all 15 batters faced on just 49 pitches. She struck out two, including the game's final batter. The gem was the eighth no-hitter in program history, and is believed to be the second perfect game. Atterholt no-hit Juniata in Florida a year ago.

KEY STATS: Heidelberg rocked four home runs in the second game, a season high ... Marissa Smego's torrid week continued with a 4-for-5 day at the plate. She scored five times ... Eight different players had multi-hit afternoons ... Mikaela Mitsch drove in five while Kayla Zachrich and Christine Bowling each brought in four.

GAME ONE – CAPITAL 8 HEIDELBERG 7: The Student Princes broke out for three runs in the top of the first. Mikaela Mitsch doubled to right, scoring Taylor Hicks. Marissa Smego tagged and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Kayla Zachrich. With two outs, Christine Bowling hit a single to left which scored Mitsch from third.

Smego, Mitsch and Zachrich all walked to start the third. Kyleah Brey was hit by a pitch, which forced in Smego. Capital's Amber Martinelli induced three groundouts to hold Heidelberg to just the one run in the inning.

Down 4-0, the host Crusaders tied the game with back-to-back homers. Maura Rose connected on a three-run blast to center before Alyssa Patznick followed with another shot to center. All four runs were unearned off of starter Cori Long.

The game wasn't tied for long. Hicks reached on an error and scored on a double to center by Renee Lovett. Lovett came around to score on a single by Zachrich. Two batters later, Bowling drove in Smego on a fielder's choice to short. The three-run inning gave Heidelberg a 7-4 lead.

Capital got one back in the bottom of the fourth. An infield single with two outs plated a run off of Lovett, who relieved Long in the third. In her first pitching appearance of the season, Lovett went 3.1 innings with one strikeout.

In the sixth, the Crusaders retook the lead with three runs on five hits. LeeAnn Cotton hit an infield single which scored one, then Rose single, driving in two more. An inning-ending 6-3 double play limited the damage.

Randi Kelsey reached on an error to start the seventh, but she was stranded at second as the game ended.

GAME TWO – HEIDELBERG 14 CAPITAL 0: As they did in the opener, Heidelberg jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the top of the first. The three runs scored on one swing of the bat, a home run to left by Mitsch.

In the bottom of the first, Atterholt retired the side in order.

The Student Princes piled on in the second, ignited by a lead-off homer by sophomore Randi Kelsey, her first career home run. Later, Mitsch singled home Hicks for the second run. With two outs, Bowling singled to center, plating Smego and Zachrich. After the second pitching change of the inning, Abbey McKee blasted a three-run home run to center, her fourth of the year.

In the bottom of the second, Atterholt retired the side in order.

In the bottom of the third, Atterholt retired the side in order.

In the bottom of the fourth, Atterholt retired the side in order.

Heidelberg added four in the top of the fifth. After drawing a leadoff walk, Kelsey scored on a double down the left field line by Hicks. Two batters later, Smego drove in Hicks with a basehit to right. Zachrich capped off the scoring with a two-run homer.

In the bottom of the fifth, Atterholt retired the side in order.

EXTRA BASES: Smego finished the week by hitting .737 with five doubles ... Smego, Bowling and Mitsch all had nine RBI during the week ... Atterholt has thrown 10 consecutive scoreless innings, shutting out Marietta on Saturday in addition to the perfect game. She also started the first game against Marietta, but left after an ineffective first inning.

SETTING THE BAR HIGH: Atterholt's perfecto comes on the day of the 2015 Siggy Awards ... She is a finalist for the Top Female Individual Performance for last year's no-hitter.

THE QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Paige has been masterful these past two days," said Heidelberg head coach Betsy Hada. "After we took her out in game one against Marietta, she went to the bullpen and worked with Kaitlin Keys to get out the kinks. To say that it worked would be an understatement."

ON DECK: Heidelberg hosts John Carroll University on Tuesday, starting at 3 p.m. When the Blue Streaks travel to Tiffin, they will be playing their seventh and eighth games in four days.