Walk-Off Winner Caps Sweep of Grace
UPLAND, Ind. – Taylor's second walk-off win of the season secured a home sweep over Grace on Tuesday night in crossroads League action.
Taylor secured a 4-1 victory in game one before escaping victorious 4-3 in walk-off fashion in the second game.
A tight contest in the nightcap came down to the final at-bat after Grace tied it up in the top of the inning. Taylor loaded the bases with one out, and Kaylee Larkin smashed the first pitch of the at-bat down the third base line to score Livie Lehmann from third and send the Taylor team pouring out of the dugout in a frenzied celebration.
For the first four-and-a-half innings, game two was a pitcher's duel that featured great defense as neither team could get a runner across the plate.
TU (12-10, 4-4 CL) broke through with a two-out rally in the bottom of the fifth. Emma West ripped a line drive to left-center that landed her on second before Jersey Tannehill sent a shot back to left center to plate West.
Grace (4-13, 3-9 CL) responded in the top of the sixth, with the first two batters singling and scoring later in the inning to help the Lancers take their first lead of the day.
Taylor bounced back with two of its own in the bottom half to retake the lead. Delaynee McCreary singled with one out and scored on a double to deep right-center field by Meg Stanley that tied the game. Two batters later, Stanley stepped on home following a grounder that eked through the left side of the infield off of the bat of West to put TU back in front.
Katie Kottlowski pitched six innings of two-run ball before having Cassy Lewis come on in relief in the top of the seventh. The lefty had her best game in some time, working five scoreless innings before Grace put two on the board in the sixth.
The Lancers then scored on a sacrifice fly to tie things up and set the scene for another Taylor walk-off in the bottom of the inning.
Game one started fast as Taylor plated two runs in the first inning to take an early lead against the Lancers. West walked to start things off and after two outs, was joined on the basepaths by Aleyah Rastetter. Caitlyn Grim then stepped up to plate a line a shot up the middle that the opposing shortstop got a glove on diving at full length but was unable to completely stop as the TU baserunners both came home to get a 2-0 lead.
Mackenzie Noah pitched another complete game, surrendering one unearned run to grab her fifth victory of the year. Noah escaped a jam in the first when Rastetter nailed a runner trying to advance to third before Noah struck out a batter with runners on first and second.
McCreary rocketed her second home run of the year in the bottom of the sixth to give the Trojans a couple of insurance runs that helped ease the nerves of the Taylor faithful.
The first two batters for Grace reached base in the seventh before a double play, which nearly materialized into a triple play by Lehmann, snuffed out any comeback attempt.
Taylor continues Crossroads League action with a doubleheader against Huntington (7-11, 3-5 CL) back at Gudakunst Field tomorrow, Wednesday, March 29, with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 pm.