The Hillsdale College softball team started its Florida trip on Sunday with two huge victories, pulling out wins over strong Minnesota-Duluth and Indiana (PA) squads in a wild afternoon in Clermont as part of the Spring Games.

The Chargers opened the day by getting revenge on Duluth for a 7-4 Bulldogs victory two weeks earlier in Chicago, rallying for a 6-4 victory. Hillsdale scored three runs in the sixth inning to overturn a 4-3 deficit, thanks to a RBI single by Hannah Hoverman that tied up the contest and a two-run double by junior Anna Chellman that put the Chargers ahead for good.

After Duluth took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, Hillsdale tied up the the contest on a solo home run by Emma Vis, then briefly pulled ahead 2-1in the bottom of the third as Olivia Liguori scored on a Bulldogs error.

Duluth answered back with three runs in the top of the fourth to seize the lead. Hillsdale got a run back in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Maggie Olaveson that scored Taylor Lewis and cut the deficit to 4-3, setting up the go ahead inning for the Chargers in the sixth.

Lewis led the Chargers at the plate with a 2 for 3 outing, including a triple, along with Chellman's double and Vis' home run.

Freshman Grace Harris earned her second win of the season in the circle for Hillsdale, striking out one and walking three in three scoreless innings of relief of starter Anistyn Foster. Joni Russell pitched the seventh inning and struck out two batters to earn her second save of the season.

Hillsdale had an even more dramatic and explosive outing in the nightcap, going to extra innings to beat the Crimson Hawks. The Chargers and IUP were tied at five runs apiece entering the eighth when Hillsdale's bats exploded, pounding out eight runs to turn a tight contest into a blowout.

Emma Vis' leadoff two-run home run in the eighth gave the Chargers all the runs they would need to win the game, but Hillsdale didn't let up, getting RBI singles from Chellman, Sydney Davis, and Vis again in her second at bat of the inning in the highest-scoring inning of the season for Hillsdale.

The Chargers had started the game hot at the plate as well, scoring four runs on a RBI single by Olivia Liguori and a two-run double by Hannah Hoverman. Liguori added a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning to increase Hillsdale's lead to five, but Indiana (PA) rallied in the bottom of the inning, scoring four runs to close the gap. The Crimson Hawks tied the game on a Chargers error in the bottom of the sixth to force extra innings.

Vis and Liguori each led the Chargers at the plate, going 3 for 5 with a home run, and Davis was 2 for 5 with an RBI as well for the Chargers.

Russell (2-1) earned the win in relief for Hillsdale, striking out three in the final three innings and giving up no earned runs. Mackenzi Maxson was the starter for Hillsdale and pitched four innings, while Foster pitched an inning of relief as well for Hillsdale.

Hillsdale improves to 8-7 overall with the victory and will look to keep rolling with two more games on tap on Monday in Clermont, starting with a huge showdown with nationally-ranked and defending Midwest Region champion Indianapolis at 9 AM. The Chargers will then play Slippery Rock in the following game at 11:15 a.m.

Photo by Reva Ludwig