The Hillsdale College softball team dug deep and got a much needed victory on Sunday at the Illinois-Springfield Invite, snapping a six-game losing streak in a split with Quincy.
The Chargers jumped on the Hawks early in Game 1 and used a strong pitching performance to take 5-1 victory that felt well-earned after several close losses in the last two weekends.
Senior Madison Rathbun hit a two-run single in the bottom of the first, scoring Olivia Latimer and Elaine Townley, to give the Chargers a 2-0 lead, and senior Madison Stoner added to the lead by driving in a run on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the third.
Quincy scraped a run across on an error in the fourth inning, but Hillsdale plated two insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth on a RBI double by Townley and a RBI single by Stoner to pull away.
The Chargers got an excellent performance on the mound by sophomore Erin Kapteyn (1-1) in the victory, as Kapteyn went the distance with six strikeouts and gave up five hits and no earned runs to earn her first win of the season.
Townley went 2 for 3 with a stolen base to lead the Chargers offensively as well.
Unfortunately, Hillsdale couldn't complete the sweep, falling 6-3 in an error-plagued game for both teams in the nightcap. The Chargers struck first, taking advantage of five Quincy errors in the top of the third inning to plate three runs and take a 3-0 advantage.
Ultimately, however, the Chargers were undone by their own series of mistakes. A four-error inning by Hillsdale in the bottom of the fourth, coupled with two timely hits, allowed the Hawks to score five runs and take a 5-3 lead. An insurance run in the fifth to make it a three-run lead proved to be too much for the Chargers to overcome.
Seven different players had a hit for the Chargers in the second game as Hillsdale was unable to string together offense as effectively as it did in the first game to overcome the deficit. Joni Russell (2-4) took the loss in relief for Hillsdale, striking out six, walking one and giving up one earned run in two and a third innings of work, while starter Camryn Olson went three and two-thirds innings, giving up five hits, two walks and no earned runs.
While Hillsdale (3-11) didn't get everything it wanted out of the weekend, it did bring a lengthy losing streak to a close and got back in the win column on the final day. The Chargers look to get things rolling in the next two weeks as the team prepares for its annual Spring Break Florida trip, starting on March 12 with a doubleheader at Lynn in Boca Raton. Hillsdale will play 12 games in seven days, with a chance to completely change the direction of the season if the Chargers can catch fire and reel off a few wins in a row.
Photo by Kasidy Carson