SOFTBALL

It wasn’t how the HU softball team wanted to end their time at the USAA Space Coast Spring Games as they took two on the chin Friday afternoon which included a lopsided 12-4 affair against Ave Maria and then a 3-0 loss to Calumet College of Saint Joseph.

HU got off to a hot start against Ave Maria by scoring three times in their first at-bat. With bases loaded, Adelyn Harsh pushed a run across home plate with an infield single after which Jenessa Hasty earned an RBI on a fielder’s choice. Kinsey Westerhouse then capped off the early scoring by dropping a shot into center for a run-scoring single.

Unfortunately, the Gyrenes’ response was overwhelming as they pieced together four hits and took advantage of two HU blunders to put five runs on the board in their half of the frame. It was a lead they wouldn’t give up.

Everyone’s bats were quiet for the next four innings before HU finally broke the silence on a sac bunt by Maddie Goheen. Once again, AMU answered in a big way by trading in seven hits and another Huntington error for seven more runs to blow the game wide open and force an early finish thanks to the run-rule.

Harsh and Westerhouse each hammered out a pair of base smacks to account for all but three of their team’s hits.

Natalie Haselby took the loss for Huntington. She threw the first five frames and gave up nine hits and nine runs, six earned, while fanning two.

HU’s game against Calumet was a pitcher’s duel as evidenced by a 0-0 stalemate after seven. Maddie Turner was pitching a dandy for Ehler’s crew having scattered just five hits to take a shutout into the eighth where the Crimson Wave finally cracked the code at the plate. They came up with two big doubles to plate three runs to which Huntington had no answer in their half of the extra frame.

Turner never left the circle to be charged with the loss. She gave up eight hits, three runs, two earned, and two walks while striking out five.

Jessica Duvall and Courtney Mason were the only two Foresters to log a hit.

With today’s losses, the Foresters drop to 5-4. Next up is a trip to IU Southeast on March 11.