HU knocks Goshen out of CL tourney

SPRING ARBOR, Mich. - The 5th-seeded Huntington softball team needed just four at bats to kick 8th-seeded Goshen out of the Crossroads League Tournament in Tuesday's play-in game at Cougar Field. The home team on the scoreboard, the Foresters run-ruled the Maple Leafs 9-1.

Ehler and crew will advance to the double elimination portion of the tourney while GC will head home with today's lopsided affair bringing an end to their season.

The Maple Leafs struck first with a run in the opening frame, but HU didn't dilly-dally in responding. The hosts countered with two of their own runs in the home half of the first to go up 2-1. It was Maddie Goheen's two-run single down the left field line that gave HU the early lead.

Huntington made it clear they can score runs in bunches with a five-run third inning to prove it. The scoring blitz started when Nigella Reck sent Gena Moore, who reached on an error, home with a grounder that got by the outstretched reach of the second baseman.

Another grounder, this time at the bat of Courtney Mason and through the 5-6 hole, drove in the second run of the frame after which Khloee Gregory blasted one off the wall for an RBI-double. It was the biggest hit of the frame as HU found home twice more after that on a pair of wild pitches. When all was said and done, Huntington hammered out three hits and took advantage of three errors and two walks to round the bases five times.

The Foresters put the finishing touches on the big win in the fourth. Goheen picked up her second RBI-single to make it 8-1 and then a few batters later, Bree Hines worked an RBI-groundout to put the necessary eight runs between the two teams in order for the mercy rule to go into effect.   

It was do-or-die for Goshen in the top of the fifth and reliever Natalie Haselby made sure it was the latter. After HU's only fielding error of the day, the sophomore southpaw struck out the side in order to call it quits.

Starting pitcher Emma Payton tossed the first four frames, giving up four hits, a run and two walks while striking out one, to earn her eighth win of the year.

Huntington finished with eight hits to Goshen's four. Goheen finished with two hits and three RBI while Reck added three base pokes.

With this win, HU moves to 26-25 on the year. Next up the Foresters will face 4th-seeded Mount Vernon at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.

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.