SOFTBALL

It wasn’t how the HU softball team had hoped their season opener would go as the dropped a pair of games, 2-1, 7-1, to Lourdes Friday afternoon at the Total Sports Complex.

Game one was a pitcher’s duel with neither team able to get much going offensively.

The Gray Wolves scored both runs early in the contest while Huntington made a late-game push to keep things interesting. With one out and two on, Jess Duvall finally knocked in a run for HU in the top of the seventh. Unfortunately with runners in scoring position representing the tying and winning runs, the Foresters’ late-game rally fell short as Lourdes closer worked two pop ups to preserve the win for the hosts.

Karlee Franklin took the loss for Huntington after giving up just four hits, two runs and two walks while striking out ten in six innings of work.

Duvall finished with two hits as the only Forester to log multiple base smacks.

The Gray Wolves came to life at the plate in the nightcap. After LU scored five runs through the first three frames and added two more by the sixth, HU’s lone run in the seventh proved insignificant.

Huntington’s run came at the bat of Nigella Reck who blasted one up the middle to knock in Kylie Fisher who had doubled down the left field line to kick off the frame. Reck finished with two of her team’s six hits.

Natalie Haselby was charged with  the loss after tossing the first 1.2 innings during which she gave up five hits, four runs and a walk while striking out one.

Huntington (0-2) is off until heading to Florida for spring break where they will take on British Columbia on February 26.