Chris Yingling | Echo
The reigning Crossroads League champion Taylor softball team picked up where they left off last season, sweeping Grace in TU's home opener.
Taylor started hot, finding a 4-0 shutout victory against Grace in the opening game. Sophomore pitcher Hannah Robbins hit her stride from the pitcher's mound, receiving the complete win.
Junior Taylor Murray ignited the Taylor offense with a left field home run in the fourth inning on a full pitch count. Sophomore Morgan Allison followed up with a double and scored on a single from sophomore Alex Lovelace.
Sophomore Lauren Ehle slammed a home run into right field and increased Taylor's lead to 3-0. Freshman Davis Carter hit a double of her own and scored later in the inning to seal Taylor's 4-0 victory.
Robbins was on fire in the shutout win, allowing just one hit on 81 pitches. Her win brought her record to 3-2 on the season.
"I felt pretty good from the start, and I was locating my pitches," Robbins said. "The defense played solid behind me and we got through innings pretty quick. Once things got rolling, I felt pretty comfortable out there."
Grace made game two more interesting, challenging with a few runs of its own. However, Taylor's early offense proved too much for the Lancers as Taylor took a victory to seal the sweep.
The Trojans kept up the trend of stellar hitting, logging four scores in the first two innings and another pair in the fourth. Grace achieved a three-score inning, bringing the score to 6-4 with two innings remaining. A double from Robbins brought Ehle in for a run in the sixth inning, putting the game out of reach as Taylor won 7-4.
Junior Ashley Miller registered the win from the circle for the Trojans, improving her overall record to 3-2 on the season. Senior Hannah Klebesadel entered the game in the sixth and did enough to earn the save, allowing just one hit.
"It's always a big thing to get started on the right foot in conference play," said head coach Brad Bowser. "To get a couple wins against a tough Grace team is big for us. They're a great pitching team, but our pitchers were phenomenal. And it's really good to see us hit well."
Taylor (8-6, 2-0 CL) heads on the road tonight against Goshen for a 3 p.m. doubleheader, followed by a Saturday home matchup against No. 23 Indiana Wesleyan. The doubleheader IWU matchup kicks off at 4 p.m.Photograph by Josh Adams
