Chris Yingling | Echo
The Trojans' postseason flashed before their eyes.
A promising regular season for the softball team almost culminated in disaster on Wednesday as Taylor found itself in the loser's bracket of the Crossroads League Tournament after a Day One 5-3 loss to the University of Saint Francis. One more loss, and Taylor was out of the the postseason and would be unable to capitalize on the success from last year. The team squeaked out a 3-2 win over Mount Vernon Nazarene, but the postseason was still in jeopardy.Head coach Brad Bowser rallied his troops heading into a Thursday slate of games. Taylor rallied for a 10-2 rout of Bethel, forcing a fifth-inning mercy finish and eliminating Bethel from the tournament. The slaughter propelled into a matchup with Grace, who was also fighting for their playoff lives.
The beginning of the game looked bleak as Taylor fell to a one-run 2-1 deficit in the second inning. Grace's bats were swinging hard and registering early hits, but the Trojan defense was stalwart.
Given the task to keep Taylor alive, junior pitcher Ashley Miller stepped up to the plate, allowing eight hits by Grace players. However, Miller's contribution didn't just come from the mound as she boomed a home run to get the Taylor offense rolling. The Trojans nabbed four runs in the fourth inning to create a dominating 5-2 lead against Grace.
The Lancers battled back in the fifth with a two-run surge, but Taylor stayed strong in the final two innings of play. Miller's pitching efforts kept Taylor in the Crossroads League mix as she logged a 5-4 win.
Taylor will continue in Crossroads League Tournament play today as TU takes on Huntington in Indianapolis at 11 a.m.Photograph by Josh Adams
