Everett outlasts Trojans on diamond
Two-run HR lifts Warriors in ICC game
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MOUNT UNION -- Mount Union fought till the very end, but ultimately failed to get the hits it needed in a 3-2 Inter-County Conference softball loss to Everett on Monday.
"We played all seven innings, we showed up and we stuck with them," Trojans coach Renae Suchan said. "They're a very good ball team and the one thing I have been telling the girls is we wait until it's too late in the game to try and get our bats alive. Today they battled all seven innings."
The difference in the game happened in the top of the fourth when Everett's Makenna Richards blasted the ball over the left-field fence for a two run-home run that made it a 3-1 ball game.
The Trojans got one of those back, but were left in a hole at the end.
The Warriors got on the board first in the opening half. Cloe Price singled and stole second, and pitcher Olivia Hillegas knocked her in with a base hit.
Mount Union's Sophie Smith made it to third in the bottom of the inning on a pair of steals but was stranded when Hillegas struck out the next three.
The Trojans evened the score in the bottom of the second when Kendra Gardner singled, advanced on a fielder's choice and moved to third as pitcher Abbey Brodbeck bunted. Brodbeck's effort became a sacrifice when Everett made the play at first, allowing Gardner to score on the throw.
After Richards' homer, Mount Union had another opportunity when Minerva Sheeder made it to third base with only one out in the frame. But Hillegas managed to get out of the inning again, leaving the Mount Union base runner stranded.
The Trojans had two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the fifth inning. But with two outs, Mount Union tried to do a squeeze play that ended up as a ground out to third.
The Trojans plated one more in the sixth when Brodbeck hit a ground ball to short and a bad throw after a diving stop by the Everett shortstop missed its target and Patyn Crisswell scored.
"We had some that worked out and some that didn't," Suchan said. "There in the sixth inning we were trying to see if we can get a squeeze to get a tie ball game or get a little closer and it didn't go in our favor. But the girls are still laying down some good bunts."
Smith, Crisswell, Sheeder and Gardner each had a hit in the game. Brodbeck had the only RBI in the game for the Trojans.
Hillegas went the distance for the Warriors with eight strikeouts while walking just two batters for the afternoon.
"She is a good pitcher," Suchan said. "She is a good pitcher and I think we did pretty well against her today."
Brodbeck also went the distance for Mount Union.
"Abbey did a real good," Suchan said. "She still has some more to go ... that's good knowing that we have three more games this week."
The Mount Union defense also kept the Warriors from scoring more runs as well with a pair of double plays. In the third Hillegas grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. In the fifth, Everett had the bases loaded but Brodbeck forced a grounder to third for another double.
Mount Union (7-5) travels to Moshannon Valley today.
Everett 3, Mount Union 2
Everett 100 200 0 -- 3-6-2
Mount Union 010 001 0 -- 2-4-3
WP: Olivia Hillegas. LP: Abbey Brodbeck. SO: Brodbeck (MU); Hillegas 8 (E). BB: Brodbeck (MU); Hillegas 2 (E). HR: Makenna Richards (E). MH: Emily Browning 2-3 (E). RBI: Brodbeck (MU); Hillegas, Richards 2 (E).