WINTER HAVEN, Fl- Today the Calvin softball team went 1-1 on the final day of its spring trip as they lost to Husson 5-4 but went on to win a 10-inning thriller against MSOE 3-2.
 
GAME 1
HUSSON 5, Calvin 4
 
In their first game of the day the Knights looked to take on the Husson Eagles from Bangor, ME. After a scoreless first inning for both teams, Calvin was able to strike first in the bottom of the second when Emilie Gist (Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf) forced the Eagles defense to make an error and reached third base. Two batters later senior first baseman Kali Yant (Vicksburg, Mich./Vicksburg) stepped up and brought Gist home when she singled up the middle.
 
The Knights added to their lead in the next inning when Sydney Duong (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Christian) doubled to left center. Kennedi Pepin (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley Bourbonnais) then entered the game and singled up the middle, moving the runner from second to third. When the Eagles center fielder retrieved the ball, she threw it to the pitcher who let it slip by her allowing Duong to score and Pepin to advance to third. A few plays later, with the bases loaded, Gist drew a walk and brought Pepin home to give the Knights a 3-0 lead.
 
In the fourth inning Husson was able to get into a grove at the plate and scored four runs. In the top of the sixth they found a way to tack on another, giving the Eagles a 5-3 lead. In the bottom of the sixth the Knights looked to respond and had the bases loaded with one out. Duong stepped into the box and hit a single to center field, scoring Yant who had previously gotten on base when Husson committed a fielding error.
 
With Calvin trailing 5-4 in the seventh inning the Eagles were able to lock down on defense and hold off the Knights to get the win. Senior Kirsten Krause (Fredonia, Wis./Grafton) started on the mound for Calvin and was relieved by sophomore Zoe Hazelhoff (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Christian) in the fourth inning.
 
 
GAME 2
CALVIN 3, MSOE 2
 
Originally the Knights were slated to take on Thomas in their second game of the day. However, after Thomas has travel issues Calvin pivoted and turned its attention to MSOE, a team it had previously beaten earlier in the week.
 
Freshman Emma Ludema (Martin, Mich./Wayland) took the mound for the Knights and immediately found herself locked into a pitching battle. Both teams struggled to get runners on base and find holes in the oppositions defense, resulting in the first four innings of the game being scoreless.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, the first run was scored when MSOE was able to sneak one runner across the plate. The Knights went into the top of the seventh with a do or die mindset as they trailed by one. However, they quickly found themselves back in the game when Gist launched a solo home run to dead center, tying the game. Calvin's defense was able to come up big in the bottom of the seventh and after holding MSOE they headed into extra innings.
 
The eighth inning went scoreless for both teams as the game pushed on into the ninth. With Duong starting at second due to international tie breaker rules, Grace Glass (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) led off the inning with a sacrifice bunt, effectively moving the runner to third. Two batters later Gist doubled to left field, bringing Duong home and giving Calvin a 2-1 lead. However, the lead didn't last as MSOE was able to scrap together a run of its own in the bottom of the inning and the game continued into the tenth inning.
 
This time sophomore Pepin was the runner placed on second to begin the inning with Yant slated to be the lead off hitter. Yant stepped into the box and didn't waste any time sending a rocket over the left fielder's head, scoring Pepin, and once again giving the Knights a one run lead. In the bottom of the tenth MSOE threatened to cause damage as it managed to load the bases with no outs. However, Ludema and the rest of the Knights defense buckled down as they forced a strikeout, an infield pop out and eventually a fly ball to left field that secured them the 3-2 win to cap off their spring trip.
 
COACHES COMMENTS: "I was really pleased with how we competed today," said head coach Becky Hilgert. "Both games had a play off atmosphere which was exciting to have this early in the season. We learned a lot about our team this week and we are ready to get back to continue to get better and look forward to our next competition."
 
UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action on the weekend of Mar. 17^th – 18^th when they travel to Elizabeth, Ky. to compete in the Pioneer Classic Tournament.