EDWARDSVILLE – Edwardsville's softball team swept a doubleheader from Rochester at home Saturday, managing to hold off the Rockets in the opener 6-4 but scoring 10 runs in the bottom of the second in the nightcap to go on to a 16-1, four-and-a-half inning win to take their record to 13-1 on the season.
“We did just enough in the first game to pull out the win and I felt we had a really good approach the second game at the plate,” said Tiger coach Lori Blade. “We had some pretty good defense both games, so that was good to see; the kids got to come in with some opportunities and we had some big innings, so that was a good way to end it.”
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
The Tigers took a lead in the opener when Jordyn Henricks led off with a double and scored when Emma Lewis singled to right. Two hitters later, Maria Smith doubled in Lewis, advancing Sarah Hangleben to third before Lauren Taplin hit a sacriice fly to score Hangsleben and give the Tigers a 3-0 lead through an inning. One more run came in the fourth when Taryn Brown singled to left to score Hangsleben and put the Tigers ahead 4-0.
The Rockets responded with four runs in the fifth thanks to RBI singles from Katie Nika, Abby Blatz and a two-run single from Lyric Boone to tie EHS at 4-4, but the Tigers regained the lead in the bottom of the inning when Henricks reached on an error to start the inning, then came around the score on a Hangsleben single to left for a 5-4 lead; EHS added to it when Henricks doubled to open the inning and scored when Anna Burke reached on an error in the outfield to give the Tigers an insurance run. Jordan Garella retired the side in the seventh to preserve the win.
A couple of big double plays helped the Tigers in the opener; one of them came in the fifth when Aubrey Magro, trying to sacrifice Nicole Robinson over to second, was thrown out at first when Smith threw to Lewis covering first; Robinson, trying to get to third, was then caught when Lewis threw to third to an alert Lauren Taplin , who was playing left, covering the base to for the second out.
Edwardsville exploded for 10 runs in the second inning of the nightcap, highlighted by a pair of Maria Smith RBI doubles in the inning, the first one scoring Hangsleben for EHS' first run of the game and the second one scoring Hangsleben and Burke. Taplin and Lauren Tripp both had RBI hits in the inning as well.
Hangsleben went 2-for-3 with a RBI and two runs scored in the opener, with Henricks going 2-for-3 with two doubles and three runs scored and Smith 1-for-3 with a double and RBI; in the nightcap, Smith was 2-for-3 with the two doubles, four RBIs and two runs scored with Henricks getting two RBIs and a run scored, Burke 1-for-3 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored, Chandler Henson 1-for-1 with a double, Tripp 1-for-2 with a double and RBI and Kylee Meyers 1-for-1 with a RBI and three runs scored.
Garella got the win in the opener, going the distance and giving up four earned runs on eight hits and striking out none; Meghan Gorniak got the win the nightcap, giving up an earned run on four hits while striking out two and going all five innings.
Next up for the Tigers is a 4:30 p.m. Tuesday Southwestern Conference game at Granite City's Wilson Park/George Sykes Field against the Warriors, then a 4:30 p.m. April 24 home matchup against Hardin-Calhoun.
