HANOVER, Ind. – The Panthers closed out the season with a sweep of Berea winning game one 4-2 before winning game two 5-4.
GAME ONE
Hanover used a pivotal fourth inning and a dominant performance in the circle to secure a 4-2 victory over Berea in the opening game of the doubleheader.
After three scoreless innings for the Panthers, Berea broke through with a run in the top of the third. Hanover quickly responded in the bottom of the fourth with their biggest offensive surge of the game. The Panthers strung together timely hits, highlighted by a triple from
Karsyn Naue that tied the game and a two-RBI double from
Ally Crist that gave Hanover the lead. An additional run scored on a Berea error to cap the four-run inning and put Hanover in control.
In the circle,
Lulu Van Beek was outstanding, tossing a complete game while allowing just two runs. She struck out 11 batters and consistently worked out of trouble to keep Berea from gaining momentum.
GAME TWO
Hanover completed the sweep in dramatic fashion, walking off Berea 5-4 in the second game of the day.
The Panthers jumped out early, scoring three runs in the first inning.
Addison Smith set the tone with a leadoff single and aggressive baserunning, while
Claire King and
Karsyn Naue each drove in runs to give Hanover a quick 3-0 advantage.
Hanover added another run in the fifth inning when Naue delivered an RBI single, extending the lead to 4-1. However, Berea battled back late, scoring three runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game at 4-4.
In the bottom half, the Panthers answered immediately.
Ashley Fulton reached base to start the inning, and after advancing into scoring position,
Lulu Van Beek delivered the game-winning RBI single to secure the 5-4 victory and the sweep.
