Long Ball Fuels Sweep of Spring Arbor in CL Opener

SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – Fueled by the long ball, Taylor secured a sweep of Spring Arbor (9-7, 0-2 CL) on the road Tuesday evening in the Crossroads League opener for both squads.

The Trojans came back to win the first game 3-2 before continuing the momentum en route to an 8-0 run-rule victory in the nightcap.

Home runs accounted for eight of 11 runs for Taylor, with Delaney Barton launching a pair while fellow seniors, Kaylee Larkin and Delaynee McCreary also went deep.

Taylor began the opening game with a golden opportunity to score after Lizzy Sinders doubled, and Jayci Kitchen followed with a single. With runners on the corners and nobody out, the next three batters were unable to drive Sinders home.

Spring Arbor followed suit with a quick start in the bottom of the inning. The Cougars' first two batters reached before a two-RBI single gave the home squad an early advantage.   

Sinders settled in after the first, not allowing more than one baserunner in the next five innings as she retired 18 of 21 batters in a dominant display. The freshman fanned six batters and allowed only six hits in the complete game victory, her third of the season.

Barton put Taylor on the board with a solo home run in the second, but the offense struggled to get anything going until Kitchen and Madisyn Standridge both singled before a line out stranded the speedsters on base.

The sixth proved pivotal, as Grace Mullins was hit by a pitch with an out bringing Larkin to the plate. The senior slugger dispatched a 1-1 offering over the fence to take a 3-2 lead late in the ballgame, the first of the season and 29th of her career.

The Cougars managed to get the tying run into scoring position and the go-ahead run on base in the bottom of the seventh, but Bella Browning tracked down a shallow fly ball in left and made a running catch to preserve the victory.

The Trojans carried the momentum into the nightcap, plating a pair of runs in the first. Sinders and Kitchen reached to begin the game before a sacrifice bunt put them in scoring position. Larkin launched a sacrifice fly before Ava Everman rocketed a single score the pair.

Kaylyn Applegate started inside the circle for the second time this season and delivered her best performance, with five shutout innings. The freshman held the Cougars to two baserunners and struck out one for her first collegiate victory.

McCreary added to the early lead with a solo home run in the second inning and the teams traded zeros until the top of the fifth, when TU exploded for five runs to put the run-rule into effect after a scoreless bottom of the inning.

The Purple and Gray loaded the bases, and Everman collected another RBI with a single through the left side, forcing the starting pitcher to come out of the game. Barton then sent the reliver first offering out for a grand slam to left field to cap the terrific two-home run day for the senior backstop.

Taylor (7-7, 2-0 CL) hosts Mount Vernon Nazarene (8-4, 1-1 CL) on Friday, March 13th in its home opener, with first pitch slotted for 1:00 pm.