HART – A shortened field of competitors made for less theatrics at the B.C. Pizza Softball Tournament in Hart Saturday, May 3. The Pirates made the best of it, coming away with second place on their home field.
First place fell just out of reach for Hart, as an inaugural 8-7 loss to Ludington proved to be the difference. With the fourth team that was expected to play having dropped out, a round-robin style of play meant less room for error.
In that game with Ludington, the Pirates had to claw their way from behind in the game’s closing frames.
After three scoreless innings for both teams, Hart got on the board first with a trio of runs to start the fourth. Reese Smith and Nora Chickering each drove one in on singles, before Emma Thomas used base running savvy to score on a dropped third strike.
Ludington followed suit in the bottom of the fourth, piling up the runs after loading the bases on their first three at-bats. Before the fifth inning began, the Orioles had jumped in front 4-3.
Hart’s offense reverted to their early game form in the fifth inning, sitting down in order to give Ludington the chance to extend its lead. The Orioles happily took advantage, scoring two more runs to push the deficit to 6-3 for Hart.
With one inning left, Hart found a way to get the bats going again. Thomas knocked in a pair of runs, Chickering stole home for another and Mackenna Carrier gave the Pirates a 7-6 lead on a line drive double to right field.
Needing just three outs to end the day with a win, Hart’s defense struggled mightily. An error by Kelsey Copenhaver to start the bottom of the sixth got Ludington on base. A single by the next Orioles batter advanced the runner to third, leaving the go-ahead run on first base.
Hart opted for an intentional walk on Ludington’s three-hole hitter, loading the bases with no outs. That didn’t stave off the Orioles’ attack, as they walked it off on the very next at-bat on a fly ball single to left field.
Smith was given the loss after pitching for the majority of the game, allowing six earned runs on six hits with seven strikeouts. Chickering came in in relief, allowing one run on two hits.
Ludington cemented itself in first place with a game two win over MCC, leaving the Spartans and Pirates to duke it out for second in the final action of the afternoon.
Hart rode the back of Cali Eisenlohr to a 12-0 victory, relying on her bat to give the team consistent offense. Eisenlohr went 3-for-3 against MCC, with three runs batted in (RBIs) collected in the process.
Copenhaver had a shutdown performance in the pitching circle, throwing a no-hitter and striking out nine Spartans at the plate.
Leading the Pirates at the plate between the two games were Copenhaver, Eisenlohr and Leah Walker who all went 3-for-5. Carrier led the team in RBIs with four on the day.
Hart’s overall record moved to 13-5. The Pirates will prepare for an in-conference rivalry battle, as they host Shelby for a doubleheader Tuesday, May 6 at 4 p.m.
