Evans Sets New Taylor Single-Season Wins Record on Opening Day of CL Tournament
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UPLAND, Ind. – In what has been a season of sparkling pitching performances in the circle for RV Taylor (39-17), junior Maddi Evans delivered yet another gem on Wednesday at Gudakunst Field, breaking the Trojans’ single-season win record for a pitcher in No. 4 seed Taylor’s 1-0 victory over No. 5 seed Spring Arbor (22-32).
Evans (19-4) was brilliant in her 13th complete-game outing, allowing just three hits, all singles, while recording eight strikeouts, increasing her single-season record total to 233. Furthermore, the Fairmount, Indiana native recorded her 19th win of the 2021 campaign, passing former Taylor standout Hannah Robbins, who won 18 games in both 2014 and 2017, to become the Trojans’ new single-season wins leader.
Along with her dominant pitching, Evans recorded two of the Trojans’ four hits in the contest while also driving in the game’s only run. After Taylor left five runners on base in the first five innings, including the bases loaded in the bottom of the first, Evans finally broke the scoreless tie in the sixth frame, launching her eighth home run of the season over the center field fence to give the Trojans a lead they would not relinquish.
Evans went 2-for-3 against Spring Arbor, while Kristin Mihalic and Kara Tucker recorded the other two hits.
Taylor dropped its second contest of the day to No. 9 ranked and No. 1 seeded Marian, falling behind by nine runs early and never fully recovering in a 9-5 defeat.
The Knights scored the first nine runs of the contest, including five in the third frame, to grab the sizeable advantage. The Trojans never quit, however, scoring four runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut the Knights’ lead to four runs. Evans continued to swing a hot bat, highlighting the Trojans’ scoring surge with a two-run double, but Taylor was unable to get any closer.
On the day, Evans finished 4-for-7 from the dish with two runs scored and three runs batted in, while Tucker finished 3-for-7 with a run scored and an RBI. Mihalic and Lauren Kanai each added a pair of hits.
Taylor will begin the second day of the Crossroads League Tournament at 12:00 pm on Thursday, squaring off against No. 6 seed Saint Francis (17-29). With a victory, Taylor would move to face either No. 3 seed Mount Vernon Nazarene or Spring Arbor for a second time at 5:00 pm.