SOFTBALL

Tuesday’s 2-1 upset over #15 Indiana Wesleyan (23-5, 13-3) at Sue Bowman Field confirmed that the Huntington softball team is arguably one of the hottest team in the league. The series opener against IWU stretched HU’s win streak to eight before the Wildcats came back to nab a 5-1 victory in the nightcap. With this split, the Foresters add to last year’s trend having gone 2-2 against the Wildcats in 2024.

Kinzie Mollenkopf was dialed in. The sophomore hurler held a Wildcat squad that entered the day averaging 9.8 runs per game to a single run. It’s just the second time this year IWU has been limited to one run.

The Caston High School product gave up just six hits and a walk while striking out ten of the 27 batters she faced on her way to the complete-game win. As a team, Wesleyan is ranked third nationally in runs scored per game and second in batting average (.401).

All of the game’s scoring came in the third with the guests striking first. After Carli Tharp’s lead-off walk and stolen base, Khloee Gregory’s single set the stage for Tharp to cruise home on a Wildcat error on Jess Duvall’s at-bat. Gena Moore then came up with a clutch single into left field to bring Gregory home for what proved the game-winner.

IWU countered with an RBI-double in their half of the frame to pull within one. After that, the Wildcats managed to log a hit in three of the final four frames, but each time Mollenkopf and crew got out of the inning unscathed.

Huntington finished with six hits, two at the bat of Jo Walker, to match IWU’s six base pokes.

After taking a 1-0 lead in the first, it was Brylee Bilger and her big bat that catapulted the Wildcats to their win in the nightcap. She cranked out homerun number nine of the season in the bottom of the third with two on for a three-run bomb. IWU plated another run in the frame to add to their total for a 5-0 advantage before Averill’s crew got one back in the top of the fourth on Maddie Goheen’s RBI-single up the middle.

It made for a 5-1 game that the hosts were able to ride out for the win. Tharp finished with a pair of hits to lead HU at the plate. As a team, Huntington finished with six hits to IWU’s nine.

Karlee Franklin was charged with the loss. She tossed the first three frames, giving up six hits, five runs, four earned, and a walk while striking out two after which Maddie Turner threw three innings of scoreless relief. During her time in the circle, Turner scattered three hits and two walks while striking out one.

The Foresters (20-10, 9-7) have a four-game homestand this weekend, hosting Marian on Friday and Grace on Saturday.