HANOVER, Ind. – The Hanover softball team had eight errors during its home doubleheader with Manchester Saturday afternoon, resulting in 6-5 and 11-2 losses.

The Panthers (8-12, 1-3 HCAC) had four players collect at least three hits on the day, but the fielding mishaps would doom them from securing a victory. Manchester improved to 8-8 overall and 3-1 in HCAC play with the wins.

Sophomore Lily Beurman (Evansville, Ind.) batted 4-for-7 on the day, including a 3-for-4 effort in the opener. Junior Shelby Edington (New Goshen, Ind.) was also 3-for-4 in the first game. Sophomores Rachel Cox (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Brittney Ralston (Hanover, Ind.) tallied two hits in Game One and additional hit in the night cap.

GAME ONE RECAP (L, 6-5)

To go along with her efforts at the plate, Beurman took a perfect game into the top of the fourth inning for the Panthers in Game One. The sophomore had four of her six strikeouts during the stretch of 10 consecutive batters retired.

With Beurman dealing in the circle, HC scored four runs in the third and fourth innings. After leaving runners stranded on second and third in the first and second innings, the Blue and Red finally broke through with an RBI single by Edington in the third. Cox scored on the play, as she led off the frame with a double. Beurman added an RBI double in the inning, and later scored on an infield groundout by freshman Kiley Shedron (Cloverdale, Ind.).

Sophomore Mackenzie Smith (Jeffersonville, Ind.) drove in the lone run of the fourth on a sac fly to centerfield. Ralson, who led off the inning with a double to right center, scored on the play to put HC in front 4-0.

The Spartans however, recorded seven consecutive hits with two outs in the top of the fifth, a rally that saw them score all six of their runs. Beurman drove in her second run of the game with a two-out single in the seventh, but the Panthers would leave the bases loaded, falling by a final count of 6-5.

Hanover finished with a 12-10 edge in total hits. The quartet of Beurman, Cox, Edington and Ralston combined for 10 of the Blue and Red's 12 hits in Game One.

GAME TWO RECAP (L, 11-2)

Manchester took advantage of seven errors in the game by HC, including two in the first inning to take an early 4-0 lead. The Spartans tacked on three additional runs in the top of the second to go in front 7-0. All seven runs allowed by Hanover in the first two innings were unearned.

The Panthers got on the board in the bottom of the second, as junior Jennah Ruddick (McCordsville, Ind.) drove in pinch runner Abby Wilson (Cincinnati, Ohio) with a two-out single through the right side.

Both teams went scoreless in the third through sixth innings, leaving MU with a six-run advantage heading into the final frame. The Spartans added four runs in the top of the seventh and HC's lone offense late saw senior Tori Luster (Indianapolis, Ind.) cross home plate. Luster led the Panthers with a 2-for-3 effort in the box.

UP NEXT: Hanover will look to bounce back when the team travels for a doubleheader at Mount St. Joseph, beginning at 4 p.m., Wednesday, April 10.

Contact: Tyler Jester

jestert@hanover.edu