HOPE — There was an offensive explosion at Hauser Friday night, and it was due to the Jets’ bats.
In a doubleheader against visiting South Decatur, Hauser racked up 29 runs and 36 hits in a Mid-Hoosier Conference sweep of the Cougars, winning 10-1 and 19-9.
“I thought we were excellent and focused in all phases tonight,” Hauser coach Andy Brunner said. “We lost a little bit of that in the middle of the second game, but we were able to rein it back in.”
The Jets (5-11, 3-3) were not only focused, but they were dominant in the batters’ box. In the first game, it was Mykenzie Ault and Hannah Johnson leading the way. Ault reached base three times and scored three runs.
Johnson did her damage with runners on base. Following an Ault single and two walks, Johnson lined a double into left-center field, clearing the bases and giving Hauser a 3-0 lead. She then scored on a wild pitch, putting the Jets up 4-0. An RBI-single by Kristin Keith tacked on the fifth run of the first inning for the Jets.
Johnson, however, was just getting started. She came up in the bottom of the second and singled in two more runs to put Hauser comfortably ahead 7-0 after two innings. She added her sixth RBI of the game on a sacrifice fly in the sixth, giving the Jets a 10-1 lead.
Hauser pitcher Hunter Crain did the rest. She threw a complete game, allowing just one run on seven hits to get the victory. Ault went 2 for 2, and Keith went 2 for 4.
Sierra Lang and Erynn Dyer each went 2 for 3 for South Decatur.
The second game brought more offensive fireworks from the Jets. Using two big innings, they were able to come from behind on separate occasions to earn the victory.
After the Cougars (2-14, 2-5) scored three first-inning runs, Hauser answered with five of its own in the second. The Jets smacked six hits in the inning, including an Abby Branum two-run single to surge ahead 5-3.
After tacking on another run in the top of the third, South Decatur answered with six runs of its own in the bottom of the inning, giving it a 9-6 lead. Hauser was able to tie the game at 9-9 by scoring three in the top of the fourth, and after holding the Cougars scoreless in their half, the Jets exploded for nine runs in the fifth, putting the game out of reach.
During the nine-run inning, Hauser banged 10 hits. Branum had two hits in the inning, as did Shelby Fugate to lead the offensive barrage.
Crain again took over from there, holding South Decatur scoreless for the final three innings to give the Jets the 19-9 six-inning victory.
Fugate went 5 for 5 in the game with three runs scored and three RBIs. Branum and Crain each went went 3 for 5 with three RBIs, and Ault and Zoee Artis each went 3 for 5 with a triple and two RBIs, Zoee Nading went 3 for 5 and Lexi Tallent went 2 for 4.
“We have come so far with our discipline in the box. We are a different team than at the beginning of the season. I love where we are at going into the tournament. Defensively, we have come a long way. We have worked out some of the kinks, and I think we are peaking at the right time,” Brunner said.
