Huntland's Hadley Gardner connects on a pitch in this file photo from the 2023 season. Gardner had a hit, two RBIs and a run scored for the Lady Hornets Thursday in their 10-5 loss at New Hope High School.
Huntland's Hadley Gardner connects on a pitch in this file photo from the 2023 season. Gardner had a hit, two RBIs and a run scored for the Lady Hornets Thursday in their 10-5 loss at New Hope High School.
The Huntland High School Lady Hornets lost to the New Hope Lady Indians 10-5 on the road Thursday in their second game for the New Hope Classic.
All of the scoring for the contest was done in the first two innings with the game ending after just three innings due to the time limit for the tournament matchups.
The Lady Hornets put a runner into scoring position with nobody out in the top of the first after Bailey Morris got hit by a pitch and Bella Smith walked, but a fielder’s-choice groundball, a fly out and a strikeout ended the inning before any runs could be scored.
The Lady Indians then put up three runs in the bottom of the first to put the Lady Hornets in a decent hole early.
However, the Lady Hornets responded with five runs in the top of the second as Bella Smith and Hadley Gardner hit consecutive two-run singles, and Jocy May followed with an RBI double to give Huntland a 5-3 advantage.
The lead would be short-lived as the Lady Indians flipped the scoreboard on a three-run home run in the bottom of the second, and they went on to score an additional four runs in the frame to make it a 10-5 game.
The Lady Hornets were retired in order in the top of the third with the time limit for the game expiring at that point to seal the five-run loss.
With the loss, the Lady Hornets moved to 0-2 on the season.
Brewer 3, Lady Hornets 1
The Lady Hornets lost to the Brewer Lady Patriots 3-1 at New Hope earlier in the day on Thursday in their first game for the New Hope Classic.
The Lady Hornets scored the first run of the day midway through the contest, but the Lady Patriots tied the score in the fourth inning and took the lead in the fifth to give them a close loss.
The Lady Hornets put a runner on third base in the top of the second as Jocy May hit a leadoff single, moved to second on a groundout by Blair Finchum and advanced to third on another groundout by Camerin Davis. However, a strikeout ended the inning and left May stranded on the basepaths.
The Lady Patriots loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the third, but Huntland pitcher Smith was able to work out of the jam to keep the game scoreless.
The Lady Hornets broke through for their lone run in the top of the fourth as Gardner hit a leadoff double and later came around to score off of an error on a ball hit by Finchum.
The Lady Patriots were able to answer back in the bottom half of the fourth as an RBI single tied the score at 1-1.
The Lady Patriots then added another two runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 3-1 lead late in the contest.
The Lady Hornets weren’t able to produce a baserunner in the top of the sixth, and the game hit its time limit midway through the bottom of the sixth as they lost by two.
With the loss, the Lady Hornets started their season with a record of 0-1.
They will next play Saturday against Danville High School at New Hope in their third game for the New Hope Classic. First pitch is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.
