WINTER HAVEN, Florida. – After losing a pair of heartbreakers during Tuesday's doubleheader, the Chargers softball team kicked it into high gear on Tuesday dominating in game 1 against Minnesota Crookston with the offense leading with two home runs before going to extras with Hillside in Game 2 that would end in heart brake for the blue and gold.
Game 1 vs Minnesota Crookston
Preview
For the first time in either program's history the Chargers and Golden Eagles met in front of a crowd of 205 in Florida with both teams looking for crucial wins. While the Chargers sat at 2-4 entering the matchup, the Golden Eagles sat at 7-10 looking to snap their five game losing streak whereas for the Chargers Selena Aponte (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley) returned to the circle to avenge her first loss of the season and snap the Chargers two game skid.
Between the Chalk
Selena Aponte (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley) returned to the circle coming off her first loss of the season and she returned to her game plan of getting ground balls and using the defense behind her to record the outs. Aponte recorded three ground outs in the first to sit the Golden Eagles down. In the home half the blue and gold threatened with bases loaded and one out but thanks to a lucky fielder's choice to retire Maeve Lougheed (Audobon, N.J./Audobon) and a ground out the Golden Eagles were able to deny the Chargers of breaking the game open and striking first. After the threat from the Chargers, the Eagles mounted their own threat as the first two batters reached on a single and double to make it second and third with no outs. Through the pressure Aponte settled in and sat the Golden Eagles down in order after the first two batters to slam the door on their scoring chances. After being contained in the first the Chargers could no longer be contained as Aponte helped herself leading the inning off with a triple followed by a Hailey Polisano (Howell, N.J./Howell) walk. Stephanie Smith (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Catholic) came up with runners at the corners and hit a hot shot to second allowing Ashanti Truelsen (Yonkers, N.Y./Saint Vincent Ferrer) to score from third, pinch running for Aponte, and Polisano to advance to second. Maeve Lougheed (Audobon, N.J./Audobon) would then bring Polisona home from second on a single up the middle to put the Chargers up 2-0. Aponte would coast through the third inning, sitting the Golden Eagles down in order and after giving up a lead off homer in the fourth to make it 2-1, she found her rhythm again shutting down the bats of Minnesota Crookston. The Chargers offense wanted no repeats of the Purdue game from Monday so in the 4th the blue and gold added on 7 runs of insurance to put the game out of reach of the Golden Eagles. Aponte again led off the inning this time earning a walk before advancing to second on an error. After Mya Case (Syracuse, N.Y/West Genessee) drew a four pitch walk, Maeve Simpson hit into a fielder's choice that scored Aponte and set up first and second with 2 outs. Enter the power hitting Nahtali Simpson (West Orange, N.J./West Orange) who spent little time to break the game open with one swing of the bat clearing the left field fence for her third home run of the season making it a 6-1 game. The offense wasn't done as Melissa Bike (Stratford, Conn./Saint Joseph) was not going to let Simpson have all the fun as she went yard clearing the left field fence as well for a three run shot making it a 9-1 game. Aponte retired the Golden Eagles in the fifth and the umpires called the game in the fifth for the score improving the Chargers to 3-4 ahead of their second game of the double header.
Game 2 vs Hillsdale
Preview
For the second time in program history Hillsdale matched up with New Haven after the Hillsdale Chargers took the first contest 8-3 in 2014 in West Haven. Heading into both teams second game of Tuesday, Hillsdale sat at 5-14 coming off of a 3-1 win over Lock Haven, while New Haven was riding off a 9-1 victory over Minnesota Crookston where they hit two 3-run home runs to improve to 3-4 before their 4:45 meeting with Hillsdale.
Between the Chalk
Following the 9 run bust in game one, the Chargers looked to their bats and Mia Iodice (Rehoboth, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth Regional) in the circle to lead the Chargers past Hillsdale. In a Charger fest it took extra innings to find the winner and it was the Hillside Chargers walking it off in the 8th to take the game. The first two innings were dominated by the pitchers and the defenses behind them. New Haven jumped on the board first in the third pushing two runs across to take the 2-0 lead. Iodice was lights out in the circle and did not surrender her first run until the 5th where Hillside grabbed their first run off the game. After a shutout sixth inning, Hillside was down to their last three outs when they were able to piece together 1 run to force it into extras. New Haven grabbed one run in the top of the 8th to take the lead yet again forcing Hillside to need one to force extras again or two to win it. Iodice returned to the circle and recorded the first out of the inning, but Hillside was able to piece together and manufacture two runs on a walk-off single to take the game, beating Iodice and the Chargers leading New Haven to a split on the day dropping to 3-5 on the season.
Day 4-5
Having played six games in three days the Chargers get a much needed rest day to give the two arms of Selena Aponte (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley) and Mia Iodice (Rehoboth, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth Regional) a day off from the circle and everyone a day to soak in the sun before the final push of the tournament begins starting on Thursday when the Chargers return to the diamond opening up against Slippery Rock, a series the blue and gold lead 5-1. Game two is a matchup against Minot State for the two programs second matchup all time and a matchup that the Chargers are looking for their first win in.
