SOFTBALL

It was upset-city Monday afternoon at Sue Bowman Field where the HU softball team snagged an 8-7 road win over #16 Indiana Wesleyan. Game two saw Huntington open up a four-run lead before the Wildcats took an extra inning to storm back for a 5-4 come-from-behind win.

The Foresters were due. After giving #7 Marian a run for their money over the weekend, HU came into Monday’s opener ready to do battle. It was Huntington’s first win over the Wildcats under the tutelage of Coach Erin Ehler. The last time HU topped IWU dates back to April of 2019.

The guests had three frames to battle back from a 7-3 deficit but needed just two, plating three runs in the fifth to close to within one and then taking over the lead in the sixth on Gena Moore’s two-run single into right center.

Moore also drove in the first run of the fifth with a shot to the other side of the field after which Courtney Mason collected a pair of RBI compliments of a Wildcat error.

The first time HU crossed home plate they had a little help by way of another IWU error on a Kasey Hickle sacrifice bunt. Huntington’s biggest swing of the day was at the bat of freshman Nigella Reck who plastered a shot out of the park in the fourth with one on for a two-run homer. It’s the first collegiate dinger of her young career.

Rookie Emma Payton tossed the final four frames to bring IWU’s offense to a screeching halt. She allowed just three hits and a walk during her time in the circle to post the big win.

Bree Hines finished with three of Huntington’s nine hits. Moore tallied two hits and three RBI while Reck also pounded out a pair of base pokes to go along with two RBI.

The Foresters picked up where they left off to start the nightcap. Mason got her team on the board in the first with an RBI-groundout. Two batters later Maddie Duvall found a gap in left field to drive in another run.

Two quiet innings passed before Huntington was back at it. This time it was back-to-back RBI-singles by Carli Tharp and Hickle to double HU’s score at 4-0. Kinzie Mollenkopf had silenced the Wildcats up to that point, allowing just two hits and a walk but all that changed after that.

IWU came roaring back to plate four runs in the fifth to force the 4-4 tie before eventually extending the game by an inning to enjoy a walk-off sacrifice bunt. Natalie Haselby was charged with the loss having spent the final 2.2 innings on the bump where she gave up two hits and the winning run while striking out two.

Tharp finished the contest with two hits and an RBI to lead Huntington at the plate.

There’s no rest for the weary as HU (14-20, 6-14) hits the road tomorrow for a 1:00 p.m. match with Mount Vernon.