Cougars Fall to Foresters in Tuesday Night Road Doubleheader

HUNTINGTON, Ind. - The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) Cougars fell to the Huntington University Foresters in a Crossroads League road doubleheader on Tuesday, April 22. 

Huntington won game one 7-3 before narrowly escaping with game two by a final score of 7-5. 

HUNTINGTON 7, SAINT FRANCIS 3

• The Foresters took an early lead, scoring one run in the bottom of the first inning.
• In the top of the third, junior Macie Dowd batted in a run to tie the game at 1-1.
• Huntington responded by bringing in two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, retaking the lead with a score of 3-1.
• The Foresters scored two more runs in the fifth and sixth innings to extend their lead to 7-1. 
• In the top of the seventh inning, with one out, Paiton Iliff and Abby Robakowski hit back-to-back home runs to add two more runs on the scoreboard for the Cougars. However, USF's rally fell short, and Huntington won game one by a final score of 7-3.
• Saint Francis recorded seven hits and three walks in game one against HU. Robakowski went 2-3 at the plate with an RBI, a home run, a run scored, and a walk. Iliff hit 1-2 with an RBI, a home run and a sacrifice fly, while Dowd also drove in a run for USF. 
• Ellie Sauder took the loss as the Cougars' starting pitcher, tossing 3.1 innings and allowing eight hits and four runs. 
• Mady Tompkins collected three strikeouts in 2.2 innings of relief. 

HUNTINGTON 7, SAINT FRANCIS 5

• Huntington quickly established a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with an RBI single, a fielder's choice, and an RBI walk.
• In the top of the third inning, Dowd hit a three-run home run, scoring pinch runner Bree Miller and Anna Smith, which cut Huntington's lead to just one run.
• The Foresters responded by scoring again in the bottom of the fourth inning, extending their lead to 6-3.
• In the top of the fifth inning, Haylee Schott and Brooklyn McCord hit RBI singles to put Saint Francis within one run, with the score at 6-5. 
• Huntington brought in another run in the bottom half of the inning to make it a two-run game. 
• The Cougars were unable to bring in another run as Huntington took game two by a final score of 7-5. 
• As a team, USF had 10 hits in game two, with Madyson Minnich going 3-4 at the plate with a stolen base. Dowd hit 2-4 with a triple, a home run, three RBI and two runs scored. Schott and McCord both drove in a run, while Kortney Surber had a sacrifice bunt to move a runner into scoring position in the third inning. 
• Alexa Huth took the loss in the circle, recording two strikeouts and eight hits in 3.2 innings pitched. 
• Mia Werner struck out a batter while holding HU to two hits in 2.1 innings of relief.

Up next, USF softball (24-16, 17-13) will host Huntington on Thursday, April 24. Game one will start at 2:00 p.m. at Westendorf Field.

Cougar fans can stay updated on all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting saintfranciscougars.com.