SOFTBALL

The Forester softball team came up short against Taylor Tuesday afternoon, falling 6-2 and 1-0 at Gudakunst Field. With the sweep, the Trojans take the regular-season series 3-1 after the two teams split their earlier doubleheader.

Despite averaging six runs per game heading into the matchup, Huntington’s offense was largely neutralized by the Taylor pitching staff. In the opener, HU tied the game at 1-1 in the fourth by scoring on a Trojan miscue. Taylor responded quickly, reclaiming the lead with two runs in the bottom of the frame.

Khloee Gregory kept hope alive with an RBI-single in the fifth, trimming the deficit to one, but that would be the last bit of Forester offense. The Trojans broke it open in the sixth with three insurance runs, without any resistance from the Foresters in their last at-bat. Coach Averill’s crew managed just three hits to Taylor’s ten.

Kinzie Mollenkopf was tagged with the loss after surrendering nine hits, five runs (four earned), and four walks while striking out three.

The second game proved even tougher offensively for the Foresters, who again recorded only three hits, two of them courtesy of Gena Moore. They never found home to be shut out for just the third time this season.

One bright spot came from the pitching circle, where Natalie Haselby held the Trojans to four hits and just one run over six innings. She walked three and struck out two in a strong but ultimately unrewarded performance.

With these losses, Huntington drops to 26-13-1 overall, 15-10-1 in league play. The Foresters will look to bounce back Thursday when they host Spring Arbor at 3:00 p.m.