SOFTBALL

The HU Forester softball team opened up league play at home by sweeping Mount Vernon, 4-3, 4-1, Tuesday afternoon. The last time the Foresters swept a two-game series against MVNU dates back to April of 2022.

With these wins, Huntington improves to 10-6 overall which includes a 2-0 CL record.

It was a dramatic finish for the hosts in the opener. After taking a 3-1 deficit into the bottom of the sixth, Ehler and crew found their groove for a fast and furious comeback. HU loaded the bases with three straight hits after which Khloee Gregory worked a base on balls to walk in their first run of the frame.

Nigella Reck’s sacrifice fly into deep right pushed a second run across the plate for a 3-3 ball game. Jo Walker then scorched a shot into center field for an RBI-single for what proved the game-winner.

In addition to Gregory’s RBI-walk in the sixth, she also doubled in Huntington’s first run in the second which was the equalizer to Mount Vernon’s run in the first. The Cougars scored twice in the top of the fifth for a 3-1 difference before HU’s late-game heroics.

Jess Duvall finished with two of her team’s seven hits.

After Karlee Franklin tossed the first five innings, Natalie Haselby offered two innings of hitless, scoreless relief to be credited with the win.

Kinzie Mollenkopf was brilliant in the circle in game two. The freshman thrower gave up seven hits, one of which was a homer to account for the guests’ only run, and one walk while striking out seven for the complete-game win.

Huntington wasted little time establishing themselves at the plate. Reck knocked in the game’s first run in the bottom of the first with a double into center field. Mackenzie Hancock’s dinger in the second knotted things up at 1-1 but that’s about all the offense MVNU cooked up as it was all HU after that.

Carli Tharp willed her team’s second run. After a shot to left center for a two-bagger in the fourth, the speedy centerfielder advanced to third on a passed ball and then scampered home on the same play compliments of an errant throw.

The sixth saw the hosts add two insurance runs. Gregory, after getting hit by a pitch and advancing to third on a pair of wild pitches, touched home on a botched routine fly. Gena Moore put the finishing touches on the contest when she singled in Kasey Hickle who had reached on the aforementioned missed catch.

Mollenkopf then wrapped things up by working a three up, three down seventh to send the Cougars home winless.

Reck and Bree Hines each collected a pair of hits while Reck also logged an RBI.

The Foresters are back in action tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. to face Goshen.