SOFTBALL

The Forester softball team split a Friday twin bill at Spring Arbor, bouncing back from a tough 1-0 walk-off loss in the opener to take the nightcap 4-1 at Cougar Field. With the split, Huntington moves to 23-19 overall and 15-15 in Crossroads League play after dropping both games to the Cougars earlier this season.

Game 1 – Spring Arbor 1, Huntington 0
Game one was a pitcher’s duel that came down to the final swing. After six scoreless frames, Spring Arbor strung together a two-out rally in the seventh to walk it off.

Huntington managed five hits in the opener, led by Makinzie Kline’s 2-for-3 effort, but couldn’t capitalize, leaving seven runners stranded – including a bases-loaded chance in the third.

Kinzie Mollenkopf was strong in the circle despite the loss, tossing 6.2 innings while allowing just one run on seven hits with five strikeouts. The Foresters had their chances, but couldn’t solve SAU’s Emilee Underwood when it mattered most.

Game 2 – Huntington 4, Spring Arbor 1
The script flipped in game two.

Huntington’s offense came alive with 10 hits and steady pressure, while Natalie Haselby controlled the game from the circle to secure the split.

Gaby Hypes sparked the Foresters early, going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and an RBI. She scored the game’s first run on a SAU throwing error in the second and later delivered a clutch RBI double in the fifth.

Khloee Gregory added a triple and scored on the play thanks to another Cougar botched throw in the fourth, while Maddie Duvall finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Josslynn Harbert chipped in two hits as well as Huntington pieced together production throughout the lineup.

The Foresters led from start to finish, taking a 2-1 advantage into the fifth where  Duvall and Hypes added to the lead with RBI base knocks  to build a 4-1 cushion.

In the circle, Haselby was efficient and composed, going the distance while scattering seven hits and allowing just one run without issuing a walk.

Huntington now turns its attention to Goshen with a road doubleheader set for Saturday at 1:00 p.m.