SOFTBALL

Opening day saw sophomore Karlee Franklin toss a five-hit shutout to pace the HU softball team to a 7-0 win against Lawrence Tech Friday morning at the Legacy Center. The right-handed hurler fanned 12 batters while giving up two walks. Twice she retired the side in order and only three times did the Blue Devils have runners in scoring position.

While Franklin pitched a dandy, she had great support from her teammates who were flawless defensively while hammering out 11 hits, four for extra bases.

The Foresters got on the board in the second, picked up two more in the middle innings and then racked up three runs in the top of the seventh before the game was called because of time.

With two outs and bases loaded in the second, Huntington reaped the benefit of the first of four LTU errors to plate a pair of runs. An inning later, Jessica Duvall drew a base on balls, found her way to third via a Breanna Hines single and passed ball and then scampered home on Courtney Mason’s fielder’s choice to up the score to 3-0.

Fast forward to the sixth where Gena Moore cranked out her second double of the morning to knock in Kinsey Westerhouse who had singled to left two batters earlier.  Westerhouse stepped up to the plate again in the seventh, this time with bases loaded, to deliver an RBI-single up the middle. With bases still packed, Jocelyn Winebrenner found a gap in right to keep HU’s rally alive. On that same play, a botched throw from right then allowed another run to cross the plate for Ehler’s crew before the game was cut short due to time constraints.

Westerhouse pounded out three hits and an RBI to pace Huntington offensively. As her team’s designated player, Hines was perfect at the plate with three hits on three tries. She also scored twice. Moore, in her first collegiate start, added two hits and an RBI while Winebrenner posted those same numbers.

“Overall, today was incredibly promising,” said Coach Erin (Rethlake) Ehler. “It wasn’t perfect, but we saw a lot of production out of a lot of different people. The composure of the squad was great all day.

“We are looking forward to two weeks of good, solid practice before we head to Florida.”

The Foresters (1-0) head to the Sunshine State for the USSAA Space Coast Spring Game over spring break to play games February 28 – March 3.