HOUGHTON, NY—The Houghton Highlanders (6-12, 0-2 Empire 8) six-game win streak came to an end on Saturday at the hands of the Utica Pioneers (6-6, 2-0 Empire8). 
 
Houghton lost a pair of close games, falling 8-5 and 7-6.
 
Game One:
The Pioneers grabbed an early lead, scoring two runs in the first and another in the third.
 
Houghton put one on the scoreboard in the fourth after a McKenzie Marti bunt single and a Taylor Sile double.
 
The Highlanders ran into trouble in the sixth as the Pioneers pounded out seven hits and crossed the plate five times, opening up an 8-1 lead.
 
While it looked like the visitors would walk away with an easy win, Houghton wasn't finished yet.  The Highlanders picked up two in the sixth when Jenny Young and Kaylee Jentsch both hit RBI singles, scoring Bailey Shattell and Marti, respectively.
 
Houghton rallied again in the seventh, gaining a run on a Shattell double and an error.  But the Pioneers would leave the tying run in the on-deck circle, finishing out game one on a strike out.
 
Marti and Jentsch both picked up two hits for the Highlanders.
 
Utica pitcher Brittany Meka picked up the win, racking up an impressive 17 strikeouts.
 
Game Two:
Utica picked up where they left off in game one, putting up five runs on five hits in the first, but Houghton picked up three of their own in the bottom half of the inning and starting pitcher Taylor Sile settled in.
 
Sile would post zeros over the next four innings, shutting down the Pioneers offense and giving her team a chance to get back in the game.
 
Houghton capitalized on that chance in the fifth.  After loading the bases, Young hit a one-out double to right, scoring two to tie the game.   Katelyn Cook then singled to centerfield, scoring Jentsch to give Houghton their first lead of the day.
 
That lead, however, would be short-lived.  In the top of the sixth the Pioneers reached on an error, then ripped a double to tie the game.
 
In the top of the seventh, Nicole Rice doubled to centerfield then stole third.  With one out Utica hit a pop-up in foul territory to the first base side.  The speedy Rice tagged on the play and scored the eventual winning run.
 
Shattell finished the game 3-for-3 with a triple and a stolen base, and Young finished 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. 
 
Meka picked up her second win of the day for the Pioneers, striking out six more batters over 2.2 innings of relief.
 
Next Time Out:
The Highlanders will make up Friday's rainout with Ithaca College on Wednesday, April 5^th.  First-pitch is slated for 3:30 at the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex.