FOR RELEASE
2012-04-12
HUNTINGTON, Ind. - Coming off two impressive wins over Marian University earlier in the week, the Forester softball sputtered against top-seeded Bethel College Thursday afternoon. The Pilots grabbed a 6-2 win in the opener and then cruised to an 8-3 decision in game two to complete the sweep.
After a hitless first inning by both teams, the Pilots came out swinging in the next two to register seven of their 13 hits and score twice in the second and two more times in the third to jump out to an early 4-0 lead.
Despite only one hit in their half of the third, the Foresters found a way to find get on the board not once but twice. Peyton Klinkhamer worked a walk, Katie Knous singled to left and Katie Bowers was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Brita Kuiper drove in HU’s first run on a sacrifice fly and Knous stole home to pull HU within two at 4-2.
But HU’s bats went south after that as Allison Greene was the only Forester to pick up a hit the rest of the way while the Pilots tallied a run in the fifth and sixth to seal the win.
Knous, Cristin Carter and Greene were the only Foresters to collect a hit in the opener while Kuiper registered HU’s lone RBI.
Molly Long took the loss giving up seven hits, four runs and no walks while striking out two in three innings on the mound. Marcie McDougle handled the last four innings and gave up six hits and two runs.
The nightcap was more of the same as the visitors jumped out to an early lead and then held the Foresters at bay for the win. HU pulled within two at 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a two-run double to left by Knous but the Pilots fired right back in the top of the fifth to tack on three more runs and grow the lead to 7-2.
The seventh inning was an even exchange as Bethel tacked on one more run while Bowers matched that in the bottom of the frame. After being hit by a pitch her first four times at the bat by Pilot hurler Natalie Newell, the MCC's leading hitter cranked one out of the park to round out the game's scoring.
Klinkhamer finished with two hits and scored a run while Bowers logged the game's lone homerun to go along with an RBI and two runs scored.
Long took the hit on the mound. In 3.2 innings in the circle, she gave up four hits and four runs with one K for the loss. McDougle took over after that and gave up four runs and nine hits.
These losses drop HU to 19-11, 7-3 in the MCC.
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