Sports News

SOFTBALL

It was night and day for the Huntington softball team Tuesday afternoon. After eight-run ruling the Maple Leafs of Goshen College in the opener, 9-1, the Foresters couldn’t get much going on either side of the ball in the nightcap to suffer a 6-1 loss to their visitors.

Game one was just the second time this season HU has tapped into the mercy rule. After holding a 2-0 lead through the first three frames, Gower’s crew gave up a run in the top of the fourth but more than righted their wrong by erupting for seven runs in their half of the inning to bury the Maple Leafs.

HU’s big inning started with a walk on either side of Karley Blankenship getting hit by a pitch to load the bases. Then began a string of RBI hits to run up the score.

Sophia Beachy and Casey Lehman turned in back-to-back run-scoring singles after which Abby Keaffaber doubled in a pair of runs and Paige Eichelberger crushed a triple to right-center for two more points on the scoreboard. Kennedy Krull put the finishing touches on the frame by sending one to the warning track for an RBI-double.

Lairen Miller did her part after that by working a 1-2-3 fifth to end the game. Miller went the distance in the circle and scattered just four hits and a run, a homer in the fourth, while striking out three to improve to 9-2 on the year.

In addition to Eichelberger’s two-run triple in the fourth, the rookie slugger also knocked in the first two runs in the first and third inning respectively. Her first was a single down the left field line and the second, a double into deep left-center. She finished a perfect 3-for-3 and needed just one more crack at the plate to have a chance to hit for the cycle.

Krull also logged three hits to go along with an RBI. Lehman and Keaffaber each posted two hits and one and two RBI respectively. Five of HU’s 12 hits were for extra bases.

The nightcap lacked the energy that characterized the opener as Huntington couldn’t string together much offensively while defensively committing three errors to the tune of four unearned runs.

Huntington’s lone run came in the fifth on a Beals RBI-double. It was her second two-bagger of the contest. She finished as the only Forester to log multiple hits. As a team, Huntington managed just six hits.

Goshen, on the other hand, opened up each frame with either a walk or hit. The pay-off was impressive as they scored at least once in five out of the seven innings to slowly build a lead that the Foresters couldn’t overcome.

Meghan Fretz was tagged with the loss. She tossed the first three innings and gave up four hits, three unearned runs and three walks.

HU moves to 14-11 overall, 9-6 in league play while GC’s record stands at 12-23 overall, 4-12 in the conference. The Foresters hit the road tomorrow to take on #2 Marian at 3:00 p.m.