Steve Nafziger | Echo
The Taylor softball team was in complete control through both games of their double header this past weekend at Asbury, winning the first game 19-1 and the second 9-0. Both games lasted only five innings as the Trojans were aggressive at the plate from the start.
"This team has a real competitive spirit and they are attacking in all areas of the game," said head coach Brad Bowser.
The Trojans put on a hitting clinic in game one, as they tallied 20 hits and a .571 team batting average. The freshmen on the team stepped up and were a large part to the first game success.
"We had several people out this weekend and other players stepped up and performed at a high level," Bowser said.
Freshman Lauren Ehle and Alex Lovelace had hot bats as Ehle went 3-4 including a home run and five RBIs, while Lovelace was a perfect 4-4 adding three RBIs and crossing the plate five times. Freshman Anna Gunderson went 2-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
"I thought the team played well as a whole and played hard," Lovelace said. "We work hard every day at practice and I think that has shown so far in our season."
The Trojans did the majority of the scoring damage in the third, fourth and fifth innings, as they totaled 5, 6, and 5, respectively.
Freshman Hannah Robbins got the win, pitching three innings only allowing 2 hits and one earned run, while freshman Maddie Cornell finished the game pitching two innings and allowing just one hit.
The second game of the double header proved to be much closer until the fourth inning.
"We faced a good pitcher after winning big and the team responded well," Bowser said. "They didn't have a let-down but came out firing on all cylinders and got the job done."
Come the fourth inning, the offense was clicking again. With the bases loaded and two out in the top of the inning, Lovelace stepped up to the plate and crushed a grand slam to get the scoring started. The Trojans tacked on one more before the third out was recorded.
Lovelace doubled the next inning, scoring one more run, while three other Trojans knocked in some more insurance runs.
However, junior starting pitcher Hannah Klebesadel did not need all nine runs to record the victory. Klebesadel pitched a complete game shutout tallying five strikeouts and giving up just three hits to the Eagles.
The Trojans improved to 9-1 after the pair of wins over the weekend.
"Success has come because we have a lot of players contributing," Bowser said. "It has been fun to see their confidence grow with each game."
Taylor will look to continue their dominance as they travel to Tennessee in a pair of double headers over the weekend. The first set will take place Friday against Tennessee Temple, while the weekend will be concluded on Saturday against Tennessee Wesleyan.
Photography by Timothy P. Riethmiller
