SOFTBALL

The Forester softball team continued its spring break surge Wednesday afternoon at the Space Coast Games in Melbourne, Florida, grinding out a pair of wins to extend its streak to five straight. Huntington opened the day with an 8-5 victory over Mount Marty before taking down Dordt, 5-1, to move to 7-3 on the season.

Game One – Huntington 8, Mount Marty 5
The Haselby sisters teamed up in the circle to secure the opener. Natalie Haselby earned the win, tossing the first four innings with three strikeouts before Bethany Haselby closed the door over the final three frames, allowing just one run and striking out two.

Behind them, Huntington played error-free defense and pounded out 12 hits to Mount Marty’s nine.

The top of the order did serious damage. Kasey Hickle, Jess Duvall and Maddie Duvall combined to go 7-for-10 with four RBI and four runs scored.

HU struck first in the opening inning. Hickle worked a leadoff walk, Jess Duvall was hit by a pitch and Maddie Duvall dropped down a bunt single to plate the first run. Khloee Gregory added an RBI groundout for a quick 2-0 edge.

After Mount Marty tied things up in the third on a two-run triple, Huntington responded immediately. Four straight singles sparked a three-run inning, highlighted by Gregory’s RBI knock and aggressive baserunning that resulted in another run crossing the plate. The Foresters never trailed again.

Hickle delivered two RBI doubles on the day, finishing 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Jess Duvall went a perfect 3-for-3 which included an RBI double, while Maddie Duvall added two hits and a run driven in. Gregory drove in two and Gaby Hypes chipped in an RBI.

Game Two – Huntington 5, Dordt 1
Facing a Dordt squad receiving votes in the latest NAIA poll, Kinzie Mollenkopf was dominant.

The junior right-hander carried a no-hitter through four innings and finished with a three-hit complete game, striking out eight while walking just one. Dordt’s lone run came on a solo homer in the seventh.

Offensively, Huntington gave Mollenkopf all the support she would need early.

The Foresters jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first thanks to Maddie Goheen’s two-run single. She later scored on a Dordt error to cap the inning. HU added a Jess Duvall RBI single in the second and a bases-loaded walk by Gregory in the fourth to round out the scoring.

Huntington totaled seven hits and worked three walks. Goheen drove in two, Jess Duvall finished 2-for-3 with an RBI and Carli Tharp scored twice. The Foresters also executed small ball effectively with two sacrifice bunts and aggressive baserunning.

The Foresters close out their Florida trip Thursday with a marquee matchup against #15 Missouri Baptist followed by a contest against Hastings.