Softball team splits series with Tiffin

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Softball team splits series with Tiffin

Softball 4-2-15

After indefinitely postponing its opening GLIAC games against Findlay Saturday, the Chargers fought hard to take the second game in its doubleheader with Tiffin Wednesday night. Tiffin won the first 1-0, but Hillsdale charged back to win the second 10-4 at Williams Field.

Sophomore Bekah Kastning went 4-5 in the game, with big hits from junior Sarah Grunert (3-4) as well.

“We wasted a good pitching effort from [freshman] Danielle Stiene, and we came into the second game a little peeved,” head coach Joe Abraham said about the team’s second-game turnaround.

Junior Sarah Grunert hit the first pitch of the game over the centerfield fence for a home run, allowing Hillsdale to gain an early lead.

“It was really nice to get those runs in the first inning,” Grunert said. “Definitely as a pitcher, it’s nice to have runs to work with. The whole team was that much more confident. Even when we’d give up a couple runs, we would come back and score a couple more runs.”

Seniors Kate Ardrey and Melissa Felkey added RBIs to extend the lead to 3-0 in the first inning.

“Coming out with hit after hit after hit allowed the flow of the game to continue,” Felkey said. “This was one of the first games we’ve been up at the beginning — usually we’ve been a comeback team — and it was nice for the pitchers to have a couple runs under them. It was nice for everyone because we could relax and play our game.”

Tiffin came back with a couple runs before Hillsdale answered with runs driven in from Ardrey and junior Ainsley Ellison, increasing the score to 5-2 in the fifth. Continuing a close game, Tiffin answered with two more runs before the Chargers broke it wide open with five runs in the sixth and seventh innings.

“We made sure we had lots of energy, in the dugout as well as in the field,” Felkey said.

In the first game, both teams had no errors, but Tiffin out-hit Hillsdale 6-2. Stiene threw eight strikeouts to Tiffin’s Kimmy Reynolds’ four.

The game ended with a controversial interference call. Ellison drove a hit up the middle with two outs and Kastning on second. The umpire called interference and an out on Kastning when she and Tiffin’s shortstop made contact as the shortstop dove for the ball and missed. It could have been perceived that the shortstop had no shot at making the play and therefore, the call should have been obstruction on part of the Tiffin fielder.

“I think the call could have gone either way, and it went against us,” Abraham said. “We only had two or three hits in the game, and you can’t expect to win that way.”

The Chargers continue league play this Friday against Saginaw Valley and Saturday against Wayne State.