SOFTBALL

Sophomore Kennedy Krull crushed her first pitch over the left field fence in the bottom of the fourth for what proved the game-winning hit of the HU softball team’s 3-1 upset over 11th-ranked Indiana Wesleyan University Wednesday afternoon.

The two-run dinger was Krull’s first homer of the year, the third of her career. She had a duck on the pond in Jada Crofoot who had singled down the left field line just prior. The mighty swing took her team from being down 1-0 since the first to enjoying a one-run advantage.

Krull was a one-person wrecking ball as she added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when she singled in Paige Eichelberger who led off the Foresters with a base poke to right. With one last stab at a heroic finish, the Wildcats worked a walk to open the seventh but HU squelched the IWU hopefuls by turning a double play after which Meghan Fretz got their lead-off to pop up to second for the final out.

The sophomore hurler pitched a gem. After giving up a run and three hits in the top of the first, Fretz (4-4) scattered three hits the rest of the way and surrendered just one walk while fanning four for the complete-game win.

The Wildcats came out with a vengeance to start the nightcap by posting nine hits through the first two frames and taking advantage of three HU errors to the tune of eight runs. The Foresters got two back in their half of the second which Eichelberger jumpstarted by working a base on balls after which Kiera Stacy smoked a shot to deep left-center for a two-run double followed by Sophia Beachy’s run-scoring single.

The third saw HU shave one more run off their deficit when Eichelberger found a hole in left to drive in Rozlynn Everhart who had singled to right and advanced to second on a passed ball. While that would be HU’s final run of the game, they never let their visitors never got too comfortable with the five-run cushion.

Gower’s crew threatened in the fifth, leaving bases loaded, and then stranded two more in the sixth before giving up one final run to IWU in the top of the seventh.

Huntington finished with eight hits to IWU’s 16. Eichelberger and Everhart each finished with a pair of hits to pace the Foresters.

Mallory West took the loss for HU by giving up six hits and five runs, three of which were unearned.

The Foresters’ game one win was the first over the Wildcats since March of 2017. Next up for Huntington is a home doubleheader with Grace on Friday at 3:00 p.m.