Evans Shines in Opening Day of CL Tournament
WESTFIELD, Ind. – Maddi Evans (13-11) dominated in Taylor’s (23-26) Crossroads League Tournament opening 4-1 win over Saint Francis (25-24). The senior hurled six innings of one-run ball, striking out six batters along the way. Evans also contributed at the plate, belting her team-leading seventh home run of the year and picking up two runs batted in.
The Trojans jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the first inning. After Emma West began the inning with a single to left, Evans came up to the plate and got down in the count 1-2, before the righty launched an opposite field home run that gave the Trojans a 2-0 lead.
Leading off the second, Aleyah Rastetter belted a double off the center field wall and came around to score on a single off the bat of Alexi Clay to increase the early lead to 3-0.
After Saint Francis scored its first run of the game in the third inning, Taylor responded in the bottom of the frame. Ashton Whitman led the frame off with a line-drive double to left-center field and scored on a single up the middle by Caitlyn Grim, that ricocheted off the second base bag into right field.
The scoring dried up after that, with Evans getting out of a threat in the fifth, as Saint Francis put runners on second and third with nobody out to start the inning, but was unable to score.
Cassy Lewis pitched a scoreless seventh frame to secure the 4-1 win and grab her first save of the season.
TU, then, fell in extra innings against No. 8 Indiana Wesleyan, 2-1, in its second game of the day.
In a high-quality pitcher’s duel, Evans fell just short, allowing two runs in seven innings pitched, while striking out five Wildcats.
The Trojans got on the board first with a run in the top of the sixth. West continued her hot hitting, ripping a line-drive double to center to start the inning. Two batters later, Whitman drove her in with a single to right to take the 1-0 lead.
Indiana Wesleyan responded with one of its own in the bottom of the sixth and came up with the walk-off victory on a home run by Miranda Wehrle in the eighth inning.
Taylor now plays Thursday, at 10:00 am at Marian University against the winner of Huntington (15-33, 13-23 CL) and Goshen (24-27, 14-22 CL).
Tickets for Thursday’s game, on Marians campus, will cost $8 for adults and $5 for seniors (65+) and children between the ages of 6 and 17. Taylor students with a school ID and children 5 and under may attend the games for free.
For those unable to attend the games on Thursday and Friday, each game is a pay-per-view cost of $7.99, and a day pass for the live stream costs $14.99.