SOFTBALL

The Forester softball team went toe-to-toe with No. 7 Marian Friday afternoon, pushing the opener into extra innings before falling 7-5 in a 10-inning heartbreaker. The Knights carried that momentum into the nightcap, blanking Huntington 5-0 to complete the doubleheader sweep at the MU Softball Diamond.

With the pair of wins, Marian claims the regular season series 4-0.

Game 1 – Marian 7, Huntington 5 (10 innings)
Huntington didn’t blink against a top-10 opponent.

The Foresters struck first with Maddie Goheen’s sac fly in the opening frame, but Marian answered quickly and built a 4-1 cushion through two innings. From there, it turned into a grind – and HU delivered.

After several quiet frames, the Foresters erupted in the sixth. With the bases loaded, Akasha Burton drove in a run with a groundout before Josslynn Harbert came through in the clutch, ripping a two-run single to left center to knot things up at 4-4.

Locked in a stalemate, the game stretched into extras where Huntington again seized the moment. Starting with the international tiebreaker runner, Goheen came around to score on Gaby Hypes’ big-time RBI double to right center, giving HU a 5-4 edge.

But the Knights had the final swing.

Marian answered in dramatic fashion with a three-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th to steal the win.

Despite the tough finish, Huntington matched Marian hit-for-hit with 11 knocks while drawing four walks. Makinzie Kline set the tone at the top of the order, going 3-for-5, while Harbert delivered a team-best two RBI. Hypes added a key extra-base hit and RBI, and Goheen chipped in a run and RBI.

In the circle, Kinzie Mollenkopf was steady across nine innings, allowing just two earned runs while striking out three and keeping HU within striking distance deep into the game before Bethany Haselby tossed the tenth to be charged with the loss after giving up the walk-off homer.

Game 2 – Marian 5, Huntington 0
The Foresters’ offense faced a stiffer challenge in game two.

Huntington was limited to just two hits, one each from Jess Duvall and Maddie Duvall, as Marian’s pitching kept the lineup in check. It marked just the second time this season HU was held scoreless.

The Knights, meanwhile, capitalized on their opportunities, tallying 10 hits and plating runs in four different innings to secure the sweep.

Natalie Haselby went the distance in the circle, working all six innings while scattering 10 hits.

With the losses, Huntington moves to 19-14 overall and 11-10 in Crossroads League play. The Foresters will look to bounce back Tuesday when they travel to Grace for a 3 p.m. first pitch.