McCreary and Noah Fuel Nightcap Victory After Tough Loss in Opener Against Grace

McCreary and Noah Fuel Nightcap Victory After Tough Loss in Opener Against Grace
March 26, 2024

 

WINONA LAKE, Ind. – The Trojans easily dispatched the Lancers in the nightcap of the doubleheader, 7-1, after suffering another heartbreaking loss in the opener, falling in the final at-bat of a 12-11 offensive thriller. 

 In an offensive pair of games, Livie Lehmann crossed the plate four times and had a pair of doubles, while Brooke Sanchez collected four RBI. The trio of Delaynee McCreary, Kaylee Larkin, and Madisyn Standridge all left the park for the Trojans. 

 Mackenzie Noah held Grace to a single run in the victory, on a home run in the second, as she climbed into the top ten in both games started and complete games in Taylor's program history. The junior struck out a pair and did not allow a runner to reach third throughout the game outside of the long ball. 

 The first inning proved fruitful for TU, scoring a trio of runs by capitalizing on a pair of errors from the Lancer infield. Sanchez delivered a two-RBI single with two outs for a clutch hit for the sophomore second baseman. 

 Grace scored their lone run of the contest in the second inning on a solo home run to cut into the lead. 

 McCreary got the run back on a sacrifice fly in the third before launching her first home run in the fifth inning to extend the lead to 6-1 after Livie Lehman had reached on her 13th double of the season. 

 Meg Stanley made the most of her opportunity in the sixth, lacing a double to right field, which allowed Madison Raley to cross the plate after walking one batter earlier. 

 The opening game was scoreless after the first two innings. Both teams had opportunities but were unable to score with runners in scoring position.

 The Trojan offense got rolling in the top of the third, putting up five runs to take the first lead of the game. Emri Agre began the inning with a double, and after Standridge walked, Aleyah Rastetter ripped a single to center to drive in a pair. With one out and nobody on, Lehmann knocked a double and scored on an opposite-field long ball by Larkin, which skimmed over the top of the wall. A quick two-out rally secured the fifth run for TU in a terrific frame. 

 The Lancers responded with four runs in the bottom of the third to close the deficit to one and then tied up the ballgame in the fourth with another run. 

 Taylor then manufactured another big inning in the fifth. Sanchez came up with one out, and the bases loaded and lined a single up the middle to take back the lead with a pair of runs. Standridge came to the plate with runners on first and second and launched a moon shot to left to extend the lead to 10-5. 

 Grace (7-11, 2-6 CL) continued to stay in the game with a trio of runs in the bottom of the fifth, a recurring theme throughout the opening game. 

 Taylor (14-12, 6-6 CL) notched an insurance run in the top of the seventh, scoring a run when Standridge roped a single through the right side to plate Agre. 

 The Lancers completed an improbable comeback by plating four runs in the bottom of the seventh, the last two scoring with two outs, for a 12-11 victory. 

 The Trojans continue Crossroads League action on Wednesday, March 27, against Saint Francis (8-13, 1-7 CL) on the road, with the first game set to begin at 3:00 pm.