March 15 box scores

New Haven 8, Hillsdale 3

Hillsdale 7, St. Cloud State 1

March 15 recap

An ideal balance of good pitching and good hitting allowed the Hillsdale College softball team to conclude its trip to Florida on a very positive note.

The Chargers topped St. Cloud State 7-1 Saturday afternoon in Auburndale, Fla. to finish up its trip with a 4-4 record. Earlier in the day, Hillsdale lost to New Haven 8-3. Hillsdale is next scheduled to face the University of Findlay in its GLIAC opener March 22 in Ohio.

Eight different players contributed hits to the Chargers' win over SCS, led by a single and a double from senior Kristi Gordon, who also led the team with 3 RBI. 

Junior Melissa Felkey drove in what would become the game-winning run in the bottom of the second, when her single brought home junior Jessica Day. Another big shot came off the bat of sophomore Sarah Grunert, who led off the fourth inning with a solo home run.

Freshman Jessica Knepper went 2-for-3 with a run scored, while Grunert scored twice in the victory.

In the early game Saturday, Hillsdale fell behind New Haven 3-0 after the first inning, but rallied to tie the game at 3 after the top of the fifth. New Haven came back to score five runs in the bottom of the sixth, with all five of those runs coming with two outs.

The top of the order was very productive for Hillsdale in this game. Sophomore Ainsley Ellison had two singles, a run scored and a run batted in, while number two hitter Bekah Kastning had a single and a triple with a rare steal of home, and an RBI. Kastning already has two triples in her first eight collegiate games, and currently leads the team with a .360 batting average.