SOFTBALL

A pitcher’s duel turned into a gut punch in extras.

The 7th-seeded Huntington softball team came up just short Wednesday afternoon, dropping a 2-1 decision to 3rd-seeded Marian in the Crossroads League Tournament at Saint Francis’ Westendorf Field. In a game where runs were at a premium, it took eight innings to decide it – and it was the Knights who delivered the final blow.

Both teams struck early before settling into a defensive grind. Marian plated the game’s first run in the opening frame, but the Foresters answered in the second. Maddie Duvall battled back from an 0-2 count to rip a shot into right center and later came around to score on Josslynn Harbert’s RBI single up the middle, knotting things up at 1-1.

From there, it was all about the arms.

Natalie Haselby was locked in inside the circle, matching Marian ace Macy Coan pitch for pitch. Huntington managed just four hits on the day, getting one apiece from Duvall, Harbert, Carli Tharp and Kasey Hickle, while also executing small ball with a pair of sacrifices from Khloee Gregory. Defensively, the Foresters turned a key double play to keep things even deep into the contest.

Haselby was nearly untouchable despite the tough-luck loss, tossing 7.1 innings while allowing just two runs on nine hits with four walks and two strikeouts on 111 pitches.

With neither side able to string together a rally after the second inning, the game stretched into extras where Marian finally broke through. A leadoff triple set the stage before a walk-off single blooper into left brought home the winning run in the bottom of the eighth.

With the loss, Huntington falls to 27-23 overall and drops into the consolation bracket. The Foresters will look to keep their season alive Thursday morning at 10:00 a.m. in an elimination matchup against top-seeded Indiana Wesleyan.