CLERMONT, Fla. – After opening Friday with a 8-0 loss to Ohio Northern, Houghton softball responded with a record-setting performance in a 17-1 win over Lyndon State to push their record to 5-3 on the season.
Against the Polar Bears, Houghton ran into a dominating pitcher in Kaitlin Surdej, who allowed just one Highlander hit while striking out eight.
Kaylee Jentsch (Orchard Park, NY, Orchard Park ) managed a single in the top of the third for Houghton.
Ohio Northern scored one run in the first, two in the second and five in third. On the mound,
Tanya Hatton (Greene, NY , Afton ) got the start and went 1 2/3, allowing three runs on five hits and striking out two. Jentsch came on in relief to pitch 2 1/3 with five runs allowed and two strikeouts. Jentsch was credited with the loss.
Against the Hornets in game two, the Houghton bats came to life. The Highlanders finished with 16 hits and took advantage of 10 Lyndon State errors to score a program record 17 runs, breaking the mark of 16 set just two days ago.
Houghton scored in each of the game's five innings, putting two across in the first, four in the second, three in the third, one in the fourth and exploding for seven in the fifth. The Hornets plated their lone run in their last at bats.
Taylor Sile (Hilton, NY, Hilton) went the distance to get her third win of the campaign, allowing one run on eight hits and striking out five. The freshman was equally effective at the plate, with a 4-for-5 performance that produced three RBI and three runs scored. Jentsch finished 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBI, while Hatton added three RBI on one hit and a walk.
Nicole Fata (Archbald, PA, Valley View) and
Justine Phillips (Cato, NY, Cato Meridian ) had two hits apiece with Fata scoring three times.
Houghton (5-3) has now scored 60 runs over their first eight games, equaling the total they produced over 34 games in 2014 and approaching their final season totals from 2013 (62) and 2012 (64). They scored 109 in 35 games last season. Their five wins have already matched the program's single-season win total (set in 2015).