NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. - Freshman Lily Beurman (Evansville, Ind.) recorded her first collegiate complete-game shutout, and sophomore Shelby Edington (New Goshen, Ind.) hit a pair of home runs as the Hanover softball team split a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against Manchester Saturday afternoon. The Panthers earned a 9-0 win in the opener and then fell 2-0 in game two.

As was the case in each of the last two games, senior Dabney Skutt (Indianapolis, Ind.) opened the game with a lead-off hit, a single to right field, to extend her hitting streak to 18 games. 

Hanover was unable to score in the first, but did get on the scoreboard in the second when senior McKenzie Writt (Franklin, Ind.) scored on a Manchester error for a 1-0 advantage.

The Panthers added to the lead with a pair of runs each in the fourth and fifth innings. With two outs in the top of the fourth, freshman Ashley Swearingen (Clarksville, Ind.) singled to right. Edington then stepped to the plate and drilled a two-run home run to make it a 3-0 game.

One inning later, senior Sidney Powers (Indianapolis, Ind.) scored freshman Rachel Cox (Indianapolis, Ind.) on a sacrifice fly, and Writt singled home Skutt to push the lead to 5-0.

Hanover broke the game open and pulled away in the seventh. Three straight singles to open the inning allowed Swearingen to score junior Carlie Roark (Hebron, Ky.) with a sacrifice fly. Edington followed with her second home run of the game, and third of the season, to score three more runs for the final 9-0 tally.

Beurman scattered eight hits over seven innings of work to complete her fourth game of the season. She did not walk anybody and struck out seven to improve to 5-6 on the season.

Skutt and Writt finished with two hits each, while Edington notched her seventh multi-hit game of the season with career-highs in hits (4 for 4) and RBI with five. The sophomore also scored a pair of runs in the win. 

Game two was played in only one hour and 15 minutes as both pitchers controlled the game. The Spartans (15-17 overall, 7-5 HCAC) got a pair of first inning runs, but would be held scoreless the remainder of the way. 

Those two runs, however, would prove to be enough as the Panthers fell 2-0. 

Skutt's hitting streak came to an end. She went hitless in three at-bats, including lining out in her final at-bat of the game.

Junior Sydney Griffin (Cambridge City, Ind.) was the tough-luck loser. Griffin allowed only the two runs on five hits over six innings. She walked two and struck out four to fall to 8-7 on the year. 

The Panthers (13-13 overall, 3-5 HCAC) are back in action Sunday, April 22 with another HCAC doubleheader at Bluffton. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. in Bluffton, Ohio.

Contact: Mike Pritchard

pritchard@hanover.edu