SOFTBALL

The Huntington softball team swept the Lancers of Grace College, 4-1, 12-9, Tuesday afternoon at Coach Phil Dick Field to improve to 16-24 overall, 12-18 in league play. The Foresters have won five of their last six conference games, which currently includes a three-game win streak, to move into the No. 6 spot in the league standings with three CL doubleheaders remaining.

While both games were three-run Ws for the visitors, the opener was boring in comparison. HU took an early 2-0 lead, scoring once in the first on Denaia Rice’s RBI-fielder’s choice and again in the second on Kiera Stacy’s run-scoring single.

The two-run lead held until the fourth when the Lancers got one back but Gower’s crew would end like they began, scoring a run in each of the last two innings to comfortably cruise to the win. After Joelle Beals knocked in run #3 for her team in the sixth, Rice picked up her second RBI of the afternoon in the seventh by doubling in the game’s final run.

HU outhit Grace 10-7 with Stacy collecting three base pokes. The freshman catcher has been on a tear as of late having logged 15 hits over the last seven games. Paige Eichelberger added two hits.

MacKyndsea Burke went the distance for HU to pick up the complete-game win. The rookie hurler scattered seven hits and allowed just one run in her fourth victory of the year.

The first four frames of game two was a pitcher’s duel with HU plating the only run up to that point on Beals’ sac fly in the second. Runs were a dime a dozen after that as the two teams combined for 20 runs in the last three innings of play. The game saw Huntington post 14 hits to Grace’s 15.

The scoring frenzy started in the top of the fifth when Huntington scored twice, highlighted by Eichelberger’s RBI-double to up the visitors’ lead to 3-0. After managing five hits through the first four frames, Grace (10-34, 6-26) matched that total in their half of the fifth to plate five runs to jump in front 5-3.

The sixth was just as action-packed as HU hammered out four hits and took advantage of two Lancer errors to reclaim the lead at 8-5. Beachy and Kennedy Krull each claimed a two-bagger to drive in three runs after which Krull scored on a misplayed grounder and Eichelberger logged another run-scoring base poke, this time a single into right.

Not to be outdone, the Lancers picked up where they left off to ping pong the lead yet again by touching home four times in the bottom of the frame to climb back on top 9-8. The chess match continued with the Foresters finally checkmating the Lancers.

The unsung hero was Anna Weigold. The rookie had ice in her veins. Down to her team’s last strike, the Columbia City native fouled off four pitches before finally getting the best of Lancer pitcher Hannah Middlebrooks with a two-out single to left to ignite the Foresters’ comeback.

It was the first of four straight hits including Krull’s two-run double to deep left-center and Hannah Shoupe’s RBI-single up the middle. After Stacy worked a walk to keep the rally alive, Eichelberger put the finishing touches on the inning with her fifth hit of the contest to knock in another run for her third RBI.

Pitching was by committee for Huntington. After Meghan Fretz tossed the first four frames, she reentered to toss a scoreless seventh to pick up the save for her team. Mallory West took over pitching duties in the fifth and worked the first two outs of the sixth before Weigold took her turn in the circle to log the final out of the sixth by getting Hannah Harless to pop up to Beals.

While Weigold threw just one pitch, it was enough to get her the victory. And if such a program record existed for least amount of time on the mound needed to log a win, Weigold would certainly have it.

In addition to Eichelberger’s five hits and three RBI, Krull tallied two base pokes and four RBI while Shoupe and Beachy each also posted a pair of hits to go with an RBI.

The Foresters take a break from league play tomorrow to travel to Fort Wayne for a doubleheader with Indiana Tech.