MISHAWAKA, Ind. - The HU softball team needed just five frames to dispose of Bethel, 9-1, in the nightcap. It was a bounce-back win for the Foresters after dropping the opener 4-1 at Gardner Field. With this split, Huntington moves to 13-13 overall which includes a 5-7 league record.
Kinzie Mollenkopf pitched a gem in game two. She tossed all five innings to give up just five hits, one run and two walks while striking out three.
Her teammates made sure to offer more than enough offensive to ensure the victory. The guests outhit the Pilots 9-5 with Carli Tharp recording two RBI-singles to lead her team at the plate.
Maddie Duvall and Kinsey Westerhouse also scored conventionally with a run-scoring base smack and sacrifice fly while the Foresters got creative in touching home the other five times. Nigella Reck stole home and walked in a run after that. HU also scored on a passed ball and twice made their way home on BU errors.
The game was never really in doubt as HU was up 3-1 before going off for six runs in the fifth.
The opener came and went quickly with the Pilots grabbing a 4-0 lead by the fourth with HU's only run coming in the seventh on Kasey Hickle's two-bagger that allowed Duvall, who led off the frame with a single, to cruise home.
Hits weren't easy to come by for either team with the Pilots holding a slight 5-4 edge. Emma Payton was charged with the loss for HU after giving up just one hit, four runs and three walks.
Ehler and crew hit the road again on Tuesday to face IWU at 4:00 p.m.
The Huntington University Foresters compete in 18 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 154 NAIA All-America honors and 501 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.
