Hunters take fifth place in tourney

CAPE GIRARDEAU — The Ste. Genevieve Hunters redeemed themselves on Saturday by bouncing back on Saturday after dropping two games on Friday to win their last two games and fifth place in the Notre Dame Softball Tourney.

The Hunters were roughed up in their first game on Friday as Oran had two huge innings to defeat them 25-5. Erica Burney was 2-3 with a double to lead the Hunters offense. Both Katie Pfaff and Allison Layton had one single each in the game.

Ste. Genevieve came close in game two, finishing with a runner on third when the last out was made, but Cobden, Illinois won the game 7-6. Peyton Tripp hit a two-run homer in the first inning to tie the score, and in the fifth inning she would tie the game again at 6-6 by scoring on a pair of Cobden errors. 

With the time limit leaving the game tied after six innings, international rules were invoked with each team playing a half inning, but starting with a player on second base. Cobden scored their runner, but the Hunters came up empty.

Allison Layton advanced to third on a bunt single by Natalie Diesel, but upon trying to score on a passed ball she was tagged out at home. Diesel also reached third, but was stranded on a strike out and a ground ball. Tripp and Diesel were both 2-4, and Emily Giesler, Jennifer Martin, Hermann and Burney were all 1-3. 

On Saturday, the Hunters defense had a much better day. After committing 10 errors in their first two games, the Hunters committed only three in their last two. 

Saxony Lutheran had pitching woes walking 16 batters and hitting four with a pitch to lose to Ste. Genevieve for a second time in the season by a lopsided score. In Saturday’s game, the Hunters won by a score of 25-2.

Ste. Genevieve had 10 hits in the game with 17 players getting into the game.

Chaffee put up a little better struggle in the fifth-place game and they were able to push the game to a full seven innings even though losing to the Hunters by 10 runs, 13-3. Ste. Genevieve scored three runs in the top of the seventh. 

The Hunters had 17 hits in the game with nine going for extra bases. Becky Hermann was 3-5 with a triple, Burney 3-4 with three doubles, Layton 3-6 with two doubles, Dickens 1-5 with a double, Martin 3-4 with a double, and Giesler 1-3 with a triple. Diesel had one single, and Tripp had two.

The Hunters travel to North County this afternoon for a conference game.