Trojans Win Second-Straight in Extra Innings on Moriarty's Walk-Off
Crossroads League Tournament Central | Huntington Box | IWU Box
INDIANAPOLIS – After a win in 10 innings on Thursday, the Taylor softball team once again prevailed in extra innings on Friday, recording a 4-3 win over Huntington on Courtney Moriarty's 12th-inning walk-off home run.
Taylor found itself in an early hole, as Huntington (24-26) got a two-run double from Paige Eichelberger in the opening half-inning of the contest to take a 2-0 lead before the Trojans' first time at the plate.
TU followed with a run of its own in the bottom-half of the first, courtesy of Hannah Castor's two-out single, which scored Cassie Kuizin, who had reached base on a lead-off walk.
Another RBI double in the top of the second pushed the Forester lead to 3-1, until Erin Cozad's sacrifice fly scored Castor to pull Taylor to within one again, 3-2, through four innings.
The Purple and Gold loaded the bases with one out in the sixth, threatening to take its first lead of the game, but two-straight outs ended the potential scoring opportunity.
The 3-2 score held true entering the bottom of the seventh, leaving TU needing one run to tie or two to win. The first two Trojans were retired, and Taylor was down to its final out with nobody on base. Kuizin doubled to put the tying run on second base, and Kara Tucker followed with a base knock to center field that scored Kuizin and sent the contest into extra innings tied 3-3.
Neither squad had a runner reach third base until the 11th frame, when HU loaded the bases with one out, but the Trojans forced out the runner at home and retired the following hitter to keep the game tied.
In the 12th, Moriarty came to the plate with one out and blasted the game-ending solo home run.
Castor and Tucker each produced two hits along with Faith Rebber, while Kuizin scored two runs to lead the TU offense in the victory.
Lauren Kanai, Jessica Doctor and Darby Shaw each contributed in the circle for the Trojans, with Doctor seeing the bulk of the work, pitching 8.1 scoreless innings.
With the win over Huntington, TU advanced to play Indiana Wesleyan (52-9) in the championship game of the consolation bracket, immediately following the game against HU.
Taylor again found itself facing an early deficit, as the Wildcats plated four runs in the bottom of the first to take a 4-0 lead entering the second inning.
Kanai put the Purple and Gold on the board in the following stanza, launching a solo home run to make it a 4-1 score.
A pair of RBI singles in the bottom of the second by the Wildcats extended the IWU lead to 6-1 through two frames.
Kanai drove in the second Trojan run in the fourth, as Castor scored on Kanai's infield groundout, bringing the score to 6-2, in favor of IWU.
Indiana Wesleyan notched its final run in the bottom of the sixth, and Taylor could not muster enough offense to match the Wildcats' seven runs, resulting in a 7-2 loss, which eliminated TU from the Crossroads League Tournament.
If the Trojans (32-15) do not earn an at-large bid to the NAIA National Tournament, the loss marks the final game of the careers of TU seniors Davis Carter and Cassie Kuizin. The two seniors have helped Taylor to 134 wins over their careers, including a 54-27 mark at Gudakunst Field and TU's second-ever win in its second-ever appearance in the NAIA National Tournament a year ago.
The 40 qualifiers and pairings for the NAIA National Tournament will be announced Tuesday, May 8, at 5:00 pm on the NAIA Facebook page.