Game 1 box score - Hillsdale 15, Lake Superior State 7
Game 2 box score - Hillsdale 6, Lake Superior State 1
April 14, 2013 - The GLIAC portion of the Hillsdale College softball season has been a strange brew of bad weather, schedule changes and frustrating losses. Finally, some of that worked in the Chargers' favor Sunday afternoon.
Hillsdale set a season-high in runs in a doubleheader, starting with a 15-7 win over Lake Superior State University in the opener, while freshman Sarah Grunert (pictured) earned her first-ever conference victory on the mound in a 6-1 decision in the nightcap. The Chargers are now 5-14 overall and 4-8 in the GLIAC, and will host Malone University at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Game one ended after six innings due to the NCAA's eight-run mercy rule. The Chargers scored their runs in bunches, picking up three in the first inning, three in the third, five in the fourth, and four more in the sixth.
Senior Taylor Schulty had a huge day at the plate, highlighted by a three-run home run in the fourth inning as part of a 4-RBI day. Five different players drove in runs in the opener for the Chargers, while five different batters had multi-hit games.
Freshman Sarah Klopfer, who got the win with 5 2/3 innings of relief work on the mound, had a career-high three hits - two of them doubles - to go along with two runs batted in and a run scored.
Senior Miriam McKay also had two doubles, and she scored two runs. Grunert and freshman Ainsley Ellison each had two hits and two runs scored, and sophomore Jessica Day scored three runs. The Chargers also stole five bases in the game, led by two each by Day and Grunert.
Grunert's busy day continued in the second game, as she went all seven innings for her first career pitching win. She scattered nine hits and struck out seven batters.
The game was scoreless until the fourth when the Lakers pushed across a run to take their first lead of the day, 1-0. Hillsdale responded in the bottom of the fourth when Schulty had an RBI double, followed by a solo home run from Grunert.
Sophomore Courtney Day provided some valuable insurance runs with a bases-loaded double in the bottom of the sixth inning to keep the Chargers comfortably ahead. Sophomore Katie Ardrey added a hit, an RBI and a run scored in the game two win for Hillsdale.
Photo by Lyndsay LaCourse