HUNTINGTON, Ind. – The Forester softball team came up with a huge 3-2 come-from-behind win in Friday's nightcap to upset #12 Marian. It's HU's second win this week over a Top 20 team having split with #20 Mount Vernon on Tuesday.
The loss is Marian's third of the season, their second in CL action, with Spring Arbor the only other league team to beat the top-seeded Knights.
Senior Audrey Barnes gave the hosts an early 1-0 lead when she drilled a shot through the left side to knock in Gena Moore who had singled to lead off the bottom of the first. The Knights' equalizer came in the second with their go ahead run coming in the fifth compliments of an HU error.
What seemed a game-altering blunder was quickly forgotten in the bottom of the seventh when the guests more than returned the favor in Huntington's thrilling comeback. After Moore was awarded a free pass to first having been drilled in the foot, the Knights, arguably the best defensive team in the league, committed back-to-back errors trying to field a pair of bunts.
With bases loaded and ice in her veins, Adelyn Harsh calmly drew a base on balls to walk in the tying run. Jo Walker's number was called next and she didn't disappoint. She kept the ball on the ground and while MU's shortstop Savannah Harweger tried to make a play at the plate, Carli Tharp was too quick as she safely slid into home to send the HU dugout into hysterics.
As a team, Huntington finished with nine hits. Three came at the bat of Moore while Jessica Duvall finished with two base pokes.
Freshman Natalie Haselby picked up the biggest W of her young career. She went the distance to fan four batters while giving up seven hits, two runs, only one of which was earned, and a walk for the complete-game win.
The opener was a pitcher's duel with both teams managing just three hits apiece. Marian played a little small ball in the fourth to plate the game's only run. But HU didn't go down without a fight. Rethlake's crew put runners on the corners in the bottom of the seventh before MU ace Olivia Stunkel worked her ninth strikeout of the contest to squelch any late-game heroics the hosts were eyeing.
Despite being charged with the loss; Karlee Franklin pitched a gem. She ended up scattering three hits, giving up a run and four walks while striking out two.
Marian (31-3, 20-2) managed just three runs on the afternoon. It's the fewest runs a Knight squad has scored in a doubleheader since April of 2021 when they were blanked by IWU.
With this split, Huntington moves to 14-19 overall which includes a 9-13 CL record. The Foresters are currently sixth in the regular season conference standings. Up next is a trip to Saint Francis tomorrow.
The Huntington University Foresters compete in 17 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 125 NAIA All-America honors and 449 All-America Scholar Athlete honors. Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. U.S. News & World Report ranks Huntington among the best colleges in the Midwest.
