Taylor Splits Grace

Chris Yingling | Echo

Senior pitcher Hannah Klebesadel threw a nearly perfect game through six innings against Grace on Tuesday.

She watched her Taylor softball squad put up two runs on the scoreboard in the seventh inning, all but sealing a shutout win on the road. Junior Erin Tice smacked a double, immediately followed by a single from sophomore Alex Lovelace. Two outs later, junior Ashley Miller belted a single to right field, scoring both Tice and Lovelace.

Then, Grace second baseman Alex Shipley finished a three-run burst for the Lancers, ending Klebesadel's shutout hopes and sending Taylor back to the dugout somber.

"There's going to be good games, and there's going to be bad games," said Taylor head coach Brad Bowser. "We just got done with a good slate of games and our kids were just affected by the weather in this one. But they came back and played a great second game."

Game Two featured consistent offense from both teams. Grace scored early for a 1-0 lead, but sophomore Lauren Ehle hit a double to bring in sophomore Jessica Britt in the top of the third. Lovelace also scored on the play after a Grace error.

The Lancers responded with a duo of runs of their own in the third, but Taylor pulled ahead as freshman Davis Carter hit a single into left field, scoring both Lovelace and Ehle. Carter's double-scoring RBI put Taylor ahead, 4-3.

An RBI single from junior Taylor Murray extended the Trojan lead to 5-3, but Grace brought it even, 5-5, in the penultimate frame. Ehle and sophomore Morgan Allison both hit RBI doubles, putting the game out of range, 7-5.

Allison's RBI double was essential, as Grace drew the deficit to just one in the bottom of the seventh. However, sophomore relief pitcher Hannah Robbins sealed the game in the final two innings. Lovelace sealed the game with a catch on a Grace line drive to center field. Taylor took Game Two, 7-6.

"Grace is a tough team and they knew how to battle," Carter said. "It feels good to battle through some tough plays and win close games. It puts the pressure on. They weren't going to lose without a fight and we had to fight hard. That fight helps build the team and helps move us toward our goals."

Photograph by Josh Adams