Houghton Gets Season Underway in Florida
CLERMONT, Fla. -- A cold and snowy spring forced a two-week delay to the Highlander softball season, but the team finally got in action Monday with two games in Florida.
Houghton lost both contests, 12-7 to Colby College and 11-0 to Carroll (Wis.) University.
Freshman second baseman Jessica Hayner went 3-for-6 (3-4 and 0-2) on the day with 4 RBI including the season’s first with a bases loaded single in the first inning against Colby.
Freshman Ashley Schenk was also 3-for-6 (3-4 and 0-2) on the day. Junior shortstop Sam Patoff scored three runs and had three stolen bases in the first game.
The Highlanders jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning on Colby, but the opponents plated one run in the first and then 10 in the third inning after four Highlander errors. Houghton pushed across runs in the third and sxth and two in the seventh, but the game ended with two runners on base when Morgan York was thrown out at third trying to advance on a passed ball.
Houghton produced 13 hits against Colby. Schenk got the loss on the mound.
“For getting outside and on the dirt for the first time, I was pleased with how we started," said Head Coach Jeremy Shepherd. "The team was fired up to finally play and came out with a lot of energy. We hit the ball very well the entire game. We had one tough inning where we made some defensive mistakes and it was tough to recover after that, but we kept battling to the last out.”
In the second game against Carroll, the Highlander bats went cold. Megan Musser produced the only firepower for the Highlanders at the plate, hitting two singles for Houghton's only hits of contest.
Carroll scored 11 runs on just six hits, but took advantage of five Houghton errors.
Sarah Beirne got the loss on the mound.