Clutch hitting helped the Hillsdale College softball team overcome early deficits and take two victories in a home series against Davenport on Thursday.
The Chargers trailed 4-0 entering the sixth inning of the first game against the Panthers, and 1-0 entering the fifth inning of the second game, but Hillsdale scored six unanswered runs in the bottom of the sixth in game one and two unanswered runs in the bottom of the fifth in game two to pull out impressive victories.
In the first game, Hillsdale struggled to get traction early against Davenport ace Emma Miller, with just four hits and no runs scored in the first five innings. The Panthers took advantage of four wild pitches in the top of the fifth to plate four runs and jump out to a sizeable advantage.
But with just six outs to work with, Hillsdale put together a phenomenal sixth inning, cranking out seven hits in the bottom half alone and plating all six of their runs in the game to take the lead for good. Freshman Olivia Latimer led off with a double to start the rally, senior Madison Rathbun hit a two-run single, and Madison Stoner hit a RBI single as well.
Sophomore Hailey Holtman gave the Chargers their first lead of the game on a RBI single down the right-field line that scored Rathbun, and, back up to bat after Hillsdale batted around in the inning, Latimer capped off the scoring with a RBI single to second base.
Pitching in relief, sophomore Erin Kapteyn put together a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh and ended the game with a swinging strikeout to clinch her ninth victory of the season. Kapteyn went two and two-thirds innings with three strikeouts, one walk, no earned runs and just one hit given up after relieving starter Dani Deaton, who also pitched a solid game, going four and one-third innings with six strikeouts and three walks.
Senior Kasidy Carson went 3 for 3 at the plate for the Chargers, Latimer and Holtman each chipped in two hits, and Elaine Townley added a double.
In the nightcap, Davenport jumped on top early, manufacturing a run in the top of the first thanks to a stolen base and a RBI single. From that point on, however, freshman Emma Vis pitched an excellent game to earn the first one of her collegiate career, giving up just two more hits and no more runs over the next five innings while striking out five and walking one. Fellow freshman Joni Russell earned her second save of the season, pitching an inning of relief and striking out two of the four batters she faced, including the final out of the game to seal the victory.
The Chargers pulled ahead in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to a clutch two-run double down the left field line by Townley that scored Latimer and Carson. That gave Hillsdale a 2-1 edge and that would be all Hillsdale would need to finish off the win.
Latimer went 3 for 3 at the plate with a double to lead the Chargers in the nightcap and finish off an excellent day. Another key factor for the Chargers was stellar defense -- Hillsdale committed zero errors across the two contests, a critical part of pulling out two close games.
At one point Hillsdale was 4-14 on the season, but after Thursday's victories, Hillsdale is now 17-17 overall, and back to .500 for the first time since Feb. 11. The Chargers will look to keep a recent hot streak going this weekend with key coonference contests on the road at Walsh on Sunday and Malone on Monday up next.
Photo by Anthony Lupi