Castor's Walk-Off Highlights TU's Senior Day Sweep
Game 1
Game 1
Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mount Vernon Nazarene | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
Taylor | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 0 |
Game 2
Game 2
Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mount Vernon Nazarene | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 0 |
Taylor | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 2 |
Game One Box | Game Two Box | Photo Gallery | Video Highlights
UPLAND, Ind. – The Taylor softball team honored its two seniors, Davis Carter and Cassie Kuizin, on Saturday at Gudakunst Field with a pair of wins over Mount Vernon Nazarene, including a 5-4 win in game two off Hannah Castor's walk-off base knock.
With the sweep, TU locked up third place in the Crossroads League standings and will host one of the two four-team pods on the first day of the league tournament on Wednesday, May 2, at Gudakunst Field. Regular-season champion Marian will host the other four-team pod.
The Trojans were never threatened in game one, as Taylor put up a four-spot in the first and cruised to the 9-1 win in six innings.
Kuizin walked to open the frame and Courtney Moriarty tripled to put TU on the board after just three batters had gone to the plate. Castor followed with a single to make it a two-run lead, and Carter launched her fifth home run of the season to complete the four-run first inning.
Mount Vernon (23-19-1, 15-15-1 CL) scored a run in the third, but the Purple and Gold responded in the subsequent half-inning with three more to extend its lead to 7-1 through three frames.
Moriarty added her second triple of the day with one out, and Castor drove her home with a single up the middle. Carter then doubled deep down the left-field line to put runners on second and third with one out, before Kanai brought home Castor to end the game, 9-1, in six innings due to run rule.
Castor and Taylor Wilson each tallied three hits to combine for six of Taylor's 12 base knocks in the run-rule victory, while Castor scored three times and drove in two more. Carter was 2-for-4 with a double and a two-run dinger, while Moriarty recorded two triple in four trips to the plate. Olivia Hostetler also provided a two-run single in the three-run third inning.
In the circle, Moriarty (7-2) went four innings to earn the win, scattering three hits and allowing just the one run. Darby Shaw picked up her third save of 2018 by allowing just one hit and holding the Cougars scoreless over the final two innings.
MVNU flipped the script on Taylor in game two, plating three runs and keeping the Trojans off the board to hold an early 3-0 lead after one stanza.
Taylor plated its first run of the contest in the third, as Kuizin singled with one out and Kara Tucker immediately followed with a double to score Kuizin from first.
In the fourth, the Purple and Gold had runners on second and third with one out, and Wilson singled to bring in TU's second run and pull within two, 4-2. Wilson stole second, and the Trojans again had two runners in scoring position. Hostetler then delivered her second two-RBI hit of the day, this time a double to right-center, which put Taylor in front, 4-3, with three innings to go.
The Cougars took advantage of two Trojan miscues in the sixth to knot the score at 4-4, and after a quiet rest of the sixth and top of the seventh, Taylor had a chance to end the game in the bottom of the seventh.
Tucker led off with a single and Moriarty moved Tucker to second on a sacrifice bunt to put the winning run on second with one out for Castor. The junior right-fielder delivered a single to centerfield, and Tucker came around to score to send Taylor off with a dramatic 5-4 win in game two.
Castor, Tucker and Wilson collected two hits apiece to lead the offense in game two, while Hostetler drove in two of TU's five runs.
Jessica Doctor (3-0) pitched 5.2 innings in relief, surrendering only four hits and one run to earn the win on the rubber in game two.
The Trojans (28-12, 22-10 CL) will finish up their regular season on Monday, when they travel to Mount Vernon to play the final two games of the season series with the Cougars at 3:00 pm, before the Crossroads League Tournament begins on Wednesday, May 2.