ELMIRA, NY—
Bailey Shattell finished the final day of her Houghton College career with five hits, including a 4-for-4 effort in her final contest as a Highlander. The Highlanders (11-25, 1-13 Empire 8), however, lost both ends of the twinbill to the Elmira Soaring Eagles (10-11, 4-10 Empire 8), 11-2,and 6-5, on a walk-off hit and fielding error.
Justine Phillips, the only other Houghton senior on this year's team, scored a key run to put the Highlanders ahead in the second game.
Game One:
The Soaring Eagles took a commanding five-run lead in the second inning, rapping out four singles and playing some small ball to manufacture their runs.
Houghton scratched back a run in the top of the third on a
Barbara Richert base hit, and another in the top of the fourth on a double by
Jenny Young, cutting the lead to 5-2.
Soaring Eagles' pitcher Emily Carlin then helped her own cause in the fourth, sending a deep fly ball over the left field fence for a three-run homerun.
Elmira would plate three more runs in the fifth, invoking the mercy rule.
Young and Richert each collected two hits apiece for the Highlanders.
Game Two:
After three full innings the game remained scoreless.
Bailey Shattell then led off the top of the fourth with a triple to right field and
Taylor Sile brought home the game's first run on a single.
Jenny Young immediately followed with a double to left, plating Sile.
The Soaring Eagles responded quickly in the bottom half of the inning, pushing across two runs of their own on three hits to even the score.
Alicia Foss and
Tanya Hatton led off the fifth with back-to-back singles. After
Kelly Parmeter sacrificed the pair to second and third, Shattell brought them home with another base hit. Shattell would later score on a wild pitch, giving the Highlanders a 5-2 lead.
Elmira fought back in the bottom half of the inning when a two-out double scored two more runs, cutting the Houghton lead to one, 5-4.
The Highlanders opened the sixth by placing runners on the corners, but failed to produce a much-needed run.
The Soaring Eagles then manufactured the tying run with a leadoff single, a stolen base and two productive ground outs.
Shattell opened the seventh with a single and a stolen base, then advanced to third on a wild pitch. After a walk put runners on first and third, Shattell attempted to score on a ground ball to third but was cut down at the plate. The Highlanders were again unable to produce the go-ahead run, giving the Soaring Eagles a shot at victory in the bottom of the seventh.
A leadoff single and a sacrifice put a runner at second with one out for Elmira. Hannah Lundgren followed with a base hit that would have only advanced the runner to third, but a fielding error in the outfield allowed the runner to score the winning run uncontested.
In the final game of her career, Shattell went 4-for-4 with a triple, two RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base.
Sile added two hits and tossed a complete game for the Highlanders.
Houghton finishes their season with 11 wins; a new program record.
