SOFTBALL

The 6th-seeded Cougars of Saint Francis knocked the 7th-seeded HU softball team out of the Crossroads League Tournament by way of a 7-2 decision Wednesday evening at MVNU’s Cougar Field. It was a play-in game with USF advancing to the double-elimination portion of the tourney where they will face #4 Spring Arbor tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.

While Huntington won the regular season battle 3-1 against their neighbors to the northeast, Saint Francis entered the tournament as one of the hottest teams in the league, having strung together six consecutive wins before picking up their seventh straight with tonight’s victory.

Serving as the home team, USF jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first two frames before Rethlake’s crew finally got on the board in the top of the fourth on Jess Duvall’s RBI-single. The Foresters crept back within two in the next inning compliments of an RBI-ground out by Carli Tharp that knocked in Khloee Gregory, who had led off with the game’s only double.

HU’s hopes of a methodical comeback was quickly snuffed out when Tori Miller led off the fifth with a solo blast. The Cougars scored again in the frame on an error and then piled on two more runs in the sixth to build a comfortable lead that they road out for the win.

Gregory finished with two of HU’s four hits.

Karlee Franklin took the loss for Huntington. She spent the first four innings in the circle having given up seven hits, four runs and three walks while striking out three.

With this loss, the Foresters wrap up the year with an overall record of 20-28.