HOPE — Hauser played closely with non conference foe Rushville, but the factor that has plagued the Jets all season happened again Monday — one bad inning.
The Jets made key errors that led to several unearned runs, and it led to a 7-1 loss.
"(Rushville) was able to take full advantage of a couple errors back-to-back, and it accounted to three runs," Hauser coach Andy Brunner said. "Of those seven runs, five were unearned. You take those away, and it is a 2-1 ballgame and I’m happy with a 2-1 ballgame any day. Obviously, I’d like to be on the winning end of it. I would feel a lot better right now if it was 2-1 instead of giving those runs away."
After the Lions put up two runs in the top of the second, the Jets (2-8) got one back in the bottom half of the inning when Abby Branum singled and advanced to second on a passed ball. Zoee Artis drove her in with a single to cut the deficit to 2-1.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
Hauser had a big opportunity in the bottom of the fifth when Mykenzie Ault and Hannah Johnson hit consecutive singles to put runners on first and second with nobody out. A strikeout and a sacrifice bunt advanced the runners to second and third, but Rushville shut the door by recording a strikeout to get of the jam.
It happened to be the start of a huge momentum shift that set up the Lions scoring five runs in the top of the sixth to pull away.
Zoee Nading went 2 for 3, and Ault finished 2 for 4 for the Jets. Hunter Crain went six innings and allowed seven runs, two of which earned, on eight hits and struck out six.
"We have every ability in the world to flip that one inning around if we go back to the discipline," Brunner said. I tell these girls all the time that I don’t care how you get to (first base), just get there. I would prefer you to hit the ball, but if you’re disciplined and not swinging at junk, and you’re not chasing pitches and you’re not helping their pitcher, you’re going to get to one."
Hauser doesn’t have much time to regroup since it travels to Triton Central today in a makeup game that was rained out earlier in the season.
Also, the Jets’ Mid-Hoosier Conference games with Waldron that were rained out Thursday and Friday have been rescheduled as a doubleheader May 1 at Hauser.
"We just have to be disciplined in the box, in the field and on bases. We even had errors running the bases tonight," Brunner said. "It’s a lack of mental focus is what it is, and that is something I talked to them about at the end of the game."
