A come from behind win at home was followed by a loss on the road, as Escalon’s varsity softball girls split their games this week.
They hosted Hughson on Tuesday, March 25 in Trans-Valley league play and came away with a 3-2 victory.
“Ashley Schuurman went five-and-a-third innings, kept the game close,” said coach Art Brooks. “She scattered six hits, struck out five, then Haley Yandell came in and shut down a Hughson rally in the sixth, got the win.”
Hughson scored a run in the third, Escalon tied it up with a run in the bottom of the fourth on a triple by Honda Hernandez and an RBI single from Schuurman. The Huskies regained the lead with a run in the top of the sixth but the host Lady Cougars were up to the task, scoring two in the bottom of the inning.
“We got a single from Kristin Beckman, a single by Honda and a two-run double from Ashley,” explained Brooks, noting that Schuurman drove in all three runs on the day.
Yandell closed out the game in the top of the seventh, though one Hughson player got aboard, they weren’t able to get the run in and Escalon held on for the win. She got through the heart of the Hughson order to earn the save.
“Ashley was 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs, Honda was 2-for-3 with a triple, Kristin was 2-for-3 and Mady Costa also got a hit,” Brooks said of the offensive production on the day.
Escalon had three runs on seven hits, Hughson had two runs on five hits.
Thursday, the team was at Hilmar and, in contrast to their Tuesday game, took an early lead but this time couldn’t hold it.
“It was kind of the perfect storm,” Brooks said of the game against the Yellowjackets. “We were up 5-2 in the sixth, they scored five unanswered runs in the bottom of the sixth and stole it, 7-5.”
Yandell started the game, Schuurman came on in relief but the game didn’t go their way this time.
The host Hilmar squad used a single, walk, a three-run triple and some Lady Cougar miscues to take the win away.
The loss put Escalon at 3-2 in TVL play, 7-4 overall with just one game on the schedule this week. They were slated to close out the first half of the schedule with a Tuesday game hosting Modesto Christian, April 1, after The Times went to press. They have a bye on Thursday.
Despite the loss, several players had hits against Hilmar, paced by Yandell with a 3-for-4 day at the plate and Schuurman, who was 2-for-3 with a pair of triples and an RBI. Melissa Mullins was 2-for-3, Stacey Stewart had a hit and an RBI, while Beckman, Costa, Lexi Prim and Kylie Burriss each had a hit as well.
