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| Taylor Yousse bases-loaded 3B in the 2nd inning (photo by Jim Lindquist) |
"Our offense, defense and pitching looked good today," coach Paul Harrington said. "We need to keep it that way. The section playoffs are a hard grind. We need to stay focused on our next game."
The Spartans scored two runs in the top of the second inning to take a quick lead but like may times during the regular season, the Tigers came back to erase it, this time with a nine-run explosion in the second.
Pitcher Ashley Betzold rapped a two-run double and Taylor Yousse smacked a bases-loaded triple in the inning to do the most damage. Brooke Searles. Amber Doyle and Toni Hunsinger also had run-scoring hits in the uprising.
Harrington said Yousse's two-out triple was the blow that all but put the game in the Farmington win column.
"It was only 5-2 at the time," he said. "Taylor hit the triple and then scored on a wild pitch right after they changed pitchers. That really took the wind out of their sails."
The winners scored two more in the third on a throwing error and a RBI single by Hunsinger and then sent everyone home early with a score on a double by Allie Rice, a single by Hunsinger and a fielder's choice ground ball by Taylor Haakana.
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| Toni Hunsinger 3-4, 2RBI, run (photo by Jim Lindquist) |
Betzold allowed just five hits in posting her 15th victory of the season.
"Our ability to come back in games tells you a lot about the character these girls have shown all season," Harrington said.
A second game against fellow-first round winner Hastings (9-8 over Rochester John Marshall) was postponed until next Tuesday evening back in Austin. Game time is 5:00 at Todd Park.
