SOFTBALL

The Huntington softball team claimed the regular season sweep over Bethel College Friday afternoon with a pair of wins, 8-0, 3-2, to improve to 17-12 overall, 12-7 in league play. HU’s other two wins over the Pilots (3-27, 2-20) came back on March 17. The Foresters have now logged 18 straight Ws over BC.

Game one was Huntington’s fifth shutout of the year and the third time they’ve mercy-ruled an opponent.

HU jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Audra Klopfenstein’s RBI-double in the second and Sophia Beachy’s run-scoring single in the third before piling on four more runs in the fifth. The Foresters loaded the bases early to set the stage for Paige Eichelberger to drive in a pair of runs with a single to right. Mallory West then roped a shot into left-center to knock in two more runs for a 6-0 advantage.

Clearly in command of the game, the Foresters went ahead and polished off their visitors an inning early with two more runs in the sixth for the 8-0 win, the 16th time the Pilots have been held scoreless this season.

Lairen Miller picked up the complete-game win by scattering six hits while striking out four.

Beachy was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with an RBI. Joelle Beals posted three hits while Eichelberger finished with two hits and two RBI. The threesome combined to score six of their team’s eight runs.

Good teams find a way to win and that’s exactly what happened in the nightcap. Heading into their last at bat down 2-0, the Foresters pieced together an impressive rally in the seventh for the come-from-behind win. West led off with a stand-up double to bring to life the HU hopefuls and force a pitching change.

Eichelberger took advantage of the new pitcher by drawing a walk to represent the tying run. Back-to-back clutch RBI-singles by Kennedy Krull and Karley Blankenship drew things even at 2-2 and then Beachy finished things off by dropping one into shallow left-center for a bloop walk-off single.

Meghan Fretz earned the win in the circle. She went the distance to give up two hits, two runs, only one of which was earned, and a walk while striking out three.

Huntington finished with nine hits with Beachy and Blankenship picking up two apiece to go along with an RBI. HU is back in action tomorrow to host Taylor at 1:00 PM.