FOR RELEASE
2011-05-04
Huntington, Ind. - After wrapping up the regular season with an impressive overall record of 25-5, the Forester softball team headed into the 2011 MCC conference tournament at the CCAC in Warsaw as the No. 2 seed and lived up to their ranking, going 2-0 on Wednesday.
In first round action, HU outhit the 7th-seeded Maple Leafs of Goshen College 11-5 to cruise to a 6-2 win. The Foresters came out swinging in their first at-bats. After Aubrey Garner doubled to deep left-center and Katie Knous drew a base-on-balls, Katie Bowers blasted one over the left field fence to give HU the early 3-0 lead. Taylor Amber followed suit in the bottom of the second when she logged her fourth moon shot of the season to plate two more runs pushing HU’s lead to 5-0. Goshen would get two back in the sixth but Alicia Willour’s RBI-single in HU’s half of the frame proved to be the final dagger. Molly Long turned in a spectacular performance on the mound working a scoreless five innings to give up three hits while striking out four to pick up the win. Marcie McDougle worked two innings of relief giving up two hits and two runs with three strikeouts. Offensively, Brita Kuiper paced HU by going 3-for-4 from the plate while Bowers finished with a run scored and three RBI.
The Foresters’ second win of the day came to the expense of third-seeded Marian University. After a scoreless seven innings of play in which both teams had several opportunities to win in regulation, HU needed just one extra inning to claim the 3-0 victory. After back-to-back base pokes by Garner and Knous, it was Bowers who again came up big by recording her second four-bagger of the day to give HU a 3-0 lead that proved to be more than enough as they held the Knights scoreless in their final at-bats to claim the well-deserved win. With Long back on the mound for the second time in as many games, she went the distance to record the shutout and pick up the win, surrendering only three hits and two walks while striking out five. Bowers finished with two hits and three RBI to lead the Foresters at the plate.
Huntington will take the field again on Thursday morning at 10:00 to face the top-seeded Pilots of Bethel College.
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