SOFTBALL

The Forester softball team played spoiler to Taylor’s home opener in a big way Friday afternoon, sweeping the Trojans 3-2 and 9-5 at Gudakunst Field.

Huntington showed grit and firepower, rallying late in the opener before unleashing the bats in the nightcap to secure the road sweep.

Game 1 – Huntington 3, Taylor 2
It took a late push, but the Foresters found a way.

Locked in a pitcher’s duel early, both aces kept the bats quiet through three innings before Taylor broke through in the fourth with a two-run blast – one that cleared the fence and caromed off a parked car beyond the wall.

That would be the only blemish for Kinzie Mollenkopf.

The junior was dominant otherwise, tossing a complete game while allowing just three hits and striking out four. She saved her best for last, working out of trouble in the seventh after issuing two free passes. With the tying and go-ahead runs on base, Mollenkopf induced back-to-back pop-ups before Khloee Gregory tracked down a deep fly at the warning track to slam the door.

Huntington’s offense delivered when it mattered most.

Gregory ignited the comeback with a solo shot in the sixth, her first of two on the day, to cut the deficit in half. The Foresters capitalized on miscues in the seventh, setting the stage for Makinzie Kline, who delivered a clutch RBI single to center to tie the game. Moments later, freshman Kalyn Greene lifted a sac fly to bring home the go-ahead run.

Despite being limited to just five hits, HU made them count, with Kline going 2-for-4 with an RBI and Gregory accounting for a run and RBI with her long ball.

Game 2 – Huntington 9, Taylor 5
Game two was a different story – same result.

The Foresters’ bats came alive, piling up 11 hits and jumping out to an early lead. Jess Duvall set the tone with a 3-for-3 performance, including an RBI, while Maddie Goheen was a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Then there was Khloee Gregory.

After her game-one heroics, Gregory delivered again, launching a three-run bomb to center in the third to cap a four-run inning and give HU a 4-0 advantage. She finished the game 2-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored, adding an RBI single later in the contest. With the pair of homers on the day, she now has eight for her career.

Taylor didn’t go quietly, cutting the lead to 4-3 behind Kaylee Larkin’s two-run homer and bases-loaded walk, and later pulling within 8-5 after a two-run fifth.

But Huntington had answers.

The Foresters broke things open with another four-run inning in the fifth, highlighted by aggressive baserunning, including a double steal that allowed Goheen to swipe home, and capped by an RBI groundout from Carli Tharp.

Goheen added an insurance run in the sixth with an RBI single to round out the scoring.

Natalie Haselby went the distance in the circle, striking out four while allowing three earned runs to earn the complete-game victory.

With the sweep, Huntington improves to 15-7 overall and 7-3 in Crossroads League play. The Foresters return home tomorrow for a 1:00 p.m. matchup against Spring Arbor.