Lehmann Sets RBI Record in Senior Day Split with Saint Francis
UPLAND, Ind. – Livie Lehmann set the single-season RBI record in the first inning of the opening game against Saint Francis (27-19, 20-16 CL) on Monday as Taylor celebrated a trio of Seniors.
Before the action got underway, the Trojans honored Maddie Schultz, Meg Stanley, and Mackenzie Noah as the trio of Seniors played in their final regular season home doubleheader.
The action came quickly as Saint Francis belted a solo home run on the top of the first before Lehmann answered with an RBI double to left to bring home her 64th run of the year and sit alone atop the program record board.
Two innings later, Lehmann drove in another run on a sacrifice fly before Kaylee Larkin fouled off three straight pitches and then launched her twelfth home run of the season to gain a 4-1 advantage in the pivotal matchup.
The Cougars cut the lead to two in the fourth before three runs in the fifth gave them a 5-4 lead. The visitors looked to extend the lead, but Katie Kottlowski (6-6) came in relief and stranded a pair of runners at second and third with a pop-out and fly out to end the frame.
Kottlowski continued her terrific form with three-and-two-thirds inning of scoreless ball in relief. The lefty maneuvered out of a bases-loaded one-out jam in the top of the seventh with a line drive to short followed by a strike-out looking to keep Taylor within one.
The Trojans were down to their final at-bat, and Claire Duncan began the inning as a pinch hitter and delivered a line shot home run to left to tie the game at five and send it into extra innings. The long ball was the first of the freshman's collegiate career and came at the most important time.
After a scoreless frame by Kottlowski, Larkin walked to begin the bottom half of the inning, and Delaney Barton stepped into the box. The junior battled to a 3-1 count before sending the ball out to dead-center for a walk-off home run.
The first inning of the second game followed a familiar script as Saint Francis hit a solo home run, and Taylor scored in the bottom half as Larkin and Barton delivered back-to-back two-out RBI doubles for a narrow 2-1 lead.
The Cougars leveled it at two in the third, but a great defensive play to catch the runner trying to score on a double steal kept the game tied.
Taylor continued to get base knocks but could not deliver the key hit to drive in a run until after the Cougars exploded for 10 runs in the top of the fifth to put the game out of reach.
Taylor (30-20, 19-17 CL) begins postseason play on Tuesday, April 29th, in the Crossroads League Tournament against Spring Arbor (20-27, 12-24 CL) as the five seed in a play-in game set to begin at 2:00 pm.