SOFTBALL

The Huntington softball team made it clear they can compete with the best of them by knocking off #20 Mount Vernon (22-7, 14-6) on the road in Tuesday’s opener, 4-2, before coming up short in the nightcap 9-1.

The Foresters waited until late in game one to pick off their hosts. After managing just two hits through the first five frames, HU pieced together four hits and took advantage of two MVNU errors to score all four runs in the sixth.

Jo Walker got her team on the board with an RBI-single to knock in Gena Moore who pounded out a lead-off double. After a Breanna Hines single and Khloee Gregory sac bunt, Adelyn Harsh reached first safely on the Cougars’ first blunder which allowed Walker to hurry home. Carli Tharp kept things going with a single to drive in Hines with Huntington’s fourth and final run coming on an error by the catcher after a strikeout.

The guests’ four runs were sandwiched between a Mount Vernon run in the bottom of the fifth and another in the bottom of the sixth to make for the 4-2 final.

Karlee Franklin went the distance to post the complete-game win having struck out three while giving up 11 hits, two runs and a walk.

Like the opener, the nightcap started out slow for a 0-0 score after the first three innings. Jessica Duvall finally broke the silence in the top of the fourth with an RBI-double. Unfortunately it proved HU’s only score of the contest as the Cougars unleashed for seven unanswered runs in the home half of the fourth to quickly take a commanding lead.

The hosts scored twice more in the sixth to cut the game an inning short compliments of the eight-run mercy rule.

Natalie Haselby was tagged with the loss after tossing the first 3.1 innings where she gave up five hits, four runs and two walks while striking out one.

With this split, HU moves to 13-18 overall which includes an 8-12 league record. Next up for Rethlake and crew is a home doubleheader against #12 Marian on Friday.