ROCHESTER, NY—  Houghton closes the regular season with a doubleheader at Nazareth splitting the series 2-1 and 9-5. The Highlanders ended the season 13-21 overall and 2-12 in Empire 8 competition.
 
GAME VITALS                           
Game 1 Score: Houghton – 1 | Nazareth – 2
Game 2 Score: Houghton – 9 | Nazareth– 5
Records: Houghton: 13-21 (2-12) | Nazareth 11-19 (4-10)
Venue: Flyer Field, Rochester, NY | Attendance: 84/112
 
Game 1: The Highlanders scored within the first four innings of play, but the effort was not enough to secure the win over the Golden Flyers.
 
After an empty first inning, Sophomore Barbara Richert singled to center field in the top of the second to score Taylor Sile, which gave the Highlanders a 1-0 lead.
 
Nazareth, nonetheless, pulled off a game-winning two-run rally in the bottom of the fifth.
 
Game 2: It was slim pickings in the first three innings for both teams, but bats finally came alive in the fourth inning when Mariah Rogers doubled down the left-field line to score Sile and just like the Highlanders took a 1-0 lead.
 
Houghton's offense continued in the top of the fourth as Katelyn Cook singled to left field driving Richert across home plate. One batter later, Kaylee Jentsch grounded out to second base which allowed Rogers to score. The Highlanders left the innings with three runs, three hits and one stranded on base. The Golden Flyers used the bottom of the fourth to cut the Highlanders' lead to 3-2, with a single and double RBI.
 
In the fifth, Houghton proved not to be outdone when Sile laced a solo shot over center field to score three on the board. The Golden Flyers would answer back with a run scored to round out the inning, 6-3.
 
Not letting up, Houghton continued to dominate on offense. It was Sile's night as she put another one over center field in the top of the seventh, scoring another three runs to seal the deal for the Highlanders. Nazareth's battle, in the end, gained them a couple of runs but it was not enough to outshine the Highlanders.
 
 
KEY STATS:
>> The hits count was 5-5 for game one, while Nazareth outhit Houghton, 12-11, in game two.
 
>> Jentsch went 2-for-3 with a pair of base hits while Rogers and Richert went 1-for-3 in game one.
 
>> Sile, leading the Highlanders with seven homers on the season and six RBIs in a single game, went 3-for-4 with three runs scored.
 
>> Caitlyn Cybart went 3-for-4 and two runs scored.