By Rob Deweese
For The Republic
RISING SUN — The Hauser softball put on a hitting clinic in the Class A sectional championship game at Rising Sun Thursday night against an overmatched Jac-Cen-Del team, powering their way to an 11-0 five-inning championship victory.
Hauser pounded out 13 hits in their four turns at bat, including a streak of seven straight to start of their half of the second inning, leading to six runs to take a 7-0 lead into the third inning. The Jets scored three more runs in their half of the third, effectively putting the game away.
To make matters worse for Jac-Cen-Del, Hauser freshman Paige McDaniel was dominant on the mound, allowing just two hits and striking out seven in her five innings of work to get the victory.
“We had a shortened warmup this afternoon because we were in a time crunch, but I felt pretty good when the game started,” McDaniel said. “My hard stuff was working well, as well as my rise ball, and I was confident in the defense behind me, so I felt really comfortable.”
“Paige is throwing the ball really well and our defense is doing their jobs well too,” Hauser coach Andy Brunner stated after the game. “These last three games, she has been really, really good.”
At the plate, eight different Jets collected hits. They consistently hit the ball hard all night from the top to the bottom of the lineup.
“There have been a couple of games where our bats have missed, but our strength is pounding the ball 1 through 9. We have done that all year, and especially these last three games.” Brunner said.
Leading the Hauser hit parade were Morgan Bottoms and Hannah Taylor. Bottoms went 2 for 3 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Taylor was 3 for 3 with two doubles, three RBIs and two runs scored.
“Everyone hit the ball well tonight. Hitting near the bottom of the order gives me a chance to be productive, and tonight my teammates did their jobs and got on base. And once we started hitting, we were able to continue to do that for the game,” Bottoms said.
Following a groundout by leadoff hitter Kyra Meister, Taylor began the Hauser clinic by launching a ball deep to left center field, where it bounced off the top of the fence for a double. She then scored on an RBI-single by Raegan Johnson to start the Jets scoring.
“The first double felt good off the bat, and I thought it might have enough to get out, but it was just short,” Taylor said. “But I thought I was seeing the ball well and my timing was good tonight. I think that we were all seeing the ball well tonight.”
And although the Jets will take some time to celebrate their sectional championship, they know that there is still work left to do, as they will play for the regional championship on Tuesday at Edinburgh.
