LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Earlham College softball team took down Manchester University in extra innings before being eliminated by Franklin College in the HCAC Tournament on Friday.
Ashley Lewis led the Quakers on the day with five hits and three runs scored.
Bo Shelton went 3-5 in game one with a double, and an RBI.
GAME ONE: EARLHAM 4 MANCHESTER 3 (9 Innings)
Morgan Cooksey threw 4.2 innings to earn the win in extra innings with one earned run and two strikeouts.
Tatum Rickert started in the circle with two earned runs and three hits over 4.1 innings.
The Quakers loaded the bases in the bottom of the first inning after a one-out single by Lewis.
Shelby Hill scored an RBI on an outfield single, and
Mackenzie Harvey brought in a second run with an infield groundout for a 2-0 Quaker lead.
Manchester scored its first run of the day in the top of the fourth inning after a leadoff walk. The Spartans tied the game in the top of the fifth with a pair of hits.
The Quakers put up four hits in the bottom of the sixth inning, but only scored one run, leaving the bases loaded after taking a 3-2 lead.
Down to their last out, Manchester hit an RBI-double in the seventh inning to continue the game. The Quakers left multiple runners on base in the seventh and eighth innings, but were held scoreless.
Lewis led off the ninth inning with her fourth hit of the day on a single up the middle, and
Emmerie Stump laid down a sacrifice bunt. With one out and a runner on second, Shelton hit a double down the left field line to easily score Lewis for the win.
GAME TWO: EARLHAM 4 FRANKLIN 5
Cooksey was called upon again in game two, and tossed 6.1 innings with two earned runs and four strikeouts.
The Grizzlies put up three runs on four hits in the top of the first inning, and held the Quakers scoreless for three innings. The Quakers got their first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth, when
Mikala Newland scored on a passed ball by the Grizzlies catcher.
Franklin increased its lead in the top of the fifth, plating two runs on two hits and an error.
Trailing 5-1, Hill led off the bottom of the sixth with a single, and advanced on a wild pitch.
Malaya Tanglao brought home the first run of the frame with an RBI-single, and
Keely Hubbard hit a two-out double to bring in two more runs. Eight Quakers came to bat in the frame, with four hits and a walk.
The Quakers conclude their season with a 25-16 record, and an 11-7 mark in conference play for a third-place finish in the standings, culminating in a second consecutive trip to the HCAC Tournament in just the second year of the program.
