Clutch Hitting Powers Trojans to Split with Saint Francis
UPLAND, Ind. – Taylor split a doubleheader with Saint Francis (11-7, 7-3 CL) on Tuesday, taking the opener 8-4, before falling in the night 4-3 at Gudakunst Field.
The Trojans used opportunistic hitting in the opener, scoring six runs with two outs in the victory. 13 hits were spread throughout the lineup as eight Trojans recorded a base knock.
Lizzy Sinders and Grace Mullins each collected three hits, as Sinders crossed the plate three times and Mullins drove in a pair with a bases loaded single in the first.
TU had an early 2-0 lead in the opener after Mullins' two-RBI single in the first frame opened the scoring. Sinders kept a potent Cougar offense at bay until the third. The Cougars got a runner on to begin the inning and a drive to right center looked primed to halve the deficit, but a terrific relay from Mullins to Bella Browning to Addison Messer nabbed the runner at the plate. Saint Francis was able to halve to deficit one batter later, but TU kept the lead.
Two quick outs in the bottom of the inning did not phase the Trojan offense as Kaylee Larkin followed with a walk to begin the rally. Mullins singled to get two on base before Ava Everman line single to left which the outfielder misplayed and allowed the first run of the inning to score. Messer continued the two-out rally with an opposite-field single to drive in two more and increase the lead to 5-1.
Taylor stretched the lead to 7-1 in the fourth as Browning and Larkin delivered two-out RBI hits.
The Cougars managed a pair of solo home runs to claw back into the game, but Sinders (5-4) held down the lineup in a complete game victory. The freshman fanned eight batters and walked just one in another terrific performance inside the circle.
The nightcap saw Taylor drop a heartbreaker 4-3, with the tying run just 60 feet away in the final inning.
Saint Francis used its power to take a 2-0 lead in the second as Kortney Surber rocketed a two-run home run and one of four long balls the Cougars hit on Tuesday.
The two-out hitting continued for the Trojans though as Madisyn Standridge ripped a two-out double to drive in Everman and scored on a double steal with Sinders as the ball got away from the Cougar infield.
An unearned run in the top of the third gave the road team the lead back, and they extended it in the sixth as Abby Robakowski launched her second home run of the day and eighth of the season for a two-run lead.
Taylor's bats went cold through the middle innings but came alive in the seventh as they tried to mount a rally. Standridge led off with a single and Jayci Kitchen had her second hit of the game with a beautifully placed bunt to get runners on the corners with one out. A quick groundout plated Standridge and saw Kitchen end on third, but the game harmlessly ended on another groundout to leave the tying run stranded.
Kaylyn Applegate was phenomenal out of the bullpen for TU, firing four innings and allowing just one hit, the home run to Robakowski, and retiring the other 12 batters she faced. It was the best outing for the Freshman as she pounded the zone and continually induced weak contact from the Saint Franci bats.
Taylor (12-12, 7-5 CL) continues Crossroads League action on Friday, March 27th against cross-county rival RV Indiana Wesleyan (15-7, 8-2 CL). The doubleheader is set to begin at 3:00 pm in Marion, Indiana.