Moriarty's Two-Run Home Run Seals Win Over Asbury
UPLAND, Ind. – The Taylor softball team topped Asbury, 9-0, in six innings at Gudakunst Field on Saturday, with Courtney Moriarty's first home run of the season in the bottom of the sixth capping the dominant win.
Against Asbury (5-5), TU began the scoring in the third frame, when Moriarty's single scored Cassie Kuizin from second. Davis Carter then drove in Moriarty with a double, and Carter came around to score on an Asbury error to make it 3-0 in favor of the Trojans after three innings.
The Trojans took advantage of three Asbury errors in the fourth inning to plate four more runs and take a 7-0 lead.
After a scoreless fifth stanza, Kuizin opened the TU half of the sixth with a stand-up triple. Two batters later, Moriarty came to the plate, with the Trojans needing just one run to end the game in a run-rule. The junior outfielder deposited the 2-0 pitch over the left-field fence to finalize the 9-0 win.
Moriarty enjoyed a perfect 4-4 day at the plate against the Eagles, scoring three runs and driving in five more, while Kuizin went 3-4 with three runs scored.
Darby Shaw and Ashley Roberts combined to throw a four-hit shutout, with Shaw (3-0) recording her third win of the season.
In TU's second game of the day against Michigan-Dearborn (6-5), the Wolverines opened a 4-0 lead after the top of the third with a three-run shot in the second and an RBI single in the third.
The Trojans responded with two runs in the bottom half of the third, as Kuizin went yard to lead off the frame and AU walked Lauren Kanai to bring home the other TU run.
The pair of runs cut Taylor's deficit in half, but UM-Dearborn recorded a three-run homer in both the fourth and fifth innings to open up a 10-2 lead, and the Trojans could not muster a run to stave off the run-rule defeat.
Kuizin and Kanai each finished 2-2 at the dish in the loss, giving Kuizin five hits in six at-bats over both contests.
RV Taylor (6-2) will open its Crossroads League schedule with a doubleheader against Goshen (8-11) at Gudakunst Field on Tuesday, with the first pitch set for 4:00 pm.