Anderson Splits with Hanover

The Anderson University softball team split with Hanover College during Saturday's Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) doubleheader at the Raven Softball Field.

Anderson (7-17, 2-4) captured a 4-0 victory in Game 1 behind a shutout from Lexi Rankin. The Panthers (14-18, 6-4) battled to a 13-7 win in Game 2.

COACH TONY HOLLOWAY'S COMMENTS

• Lexi Rankin threw extremely well in that first game. That was Lexi's fifth win in a row for us.
• In Game 1, we padded ourselves with three more runs in the bottom of the sixth. By that point, you can just trade runs for outs and come away with a victory.
• I kind of saddled Lexi with a loss in that second game. I thought that we might have been able to get two or three innings; she didn't have a high pitch count in that first game. I guess I guessed wrong, but I don't how to guess when [Hanover] scores 13.
• We're going to have to quit being in a place where we get a good win and then fall back in that rut of giving up unearned runs and things. We did that at Franklin. We got a good win [on Saturday], a shutout, had a chance to even our record at 3-3 and then we didn't play great defense in that second game.
• We didn't hit. We had one run going into the bottom of the sixth. We erupted for six runs that inning, but it does little when you're down 13-1.
• We have Bluffton coming up on Wednesday. We're 2-4 in the conference. It's almost a must-sweep scenario. I haven't completely figured out [the playoff picture] yet, but I think nine wins being enough to make the conference tournament is a stretch and I don't think 8-8 gets you in.
• We just need to put two back-to-back quality games together.

GAME 1: ANDERSON 4, HANOVER 0

• The Ravens outhit the Panthers 5-3.
• Lexi Rankin (Pitching) – Win (6-5), 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 5 K
• Lexi Rankin (Hitting) – 2-for-3, Double, RBI
• Alayna Hart – Triple
• Jayden Brown – Single
• Molly Buck – Single

GAME 2: HANOVER 13, ANDERSON 7

• Hanover outhit Anderson 17-8.
• Mia Reinhard – Two-Run Double
• Maddie Schoenradt – 2-for-3, RBI
• Kylie Sloan – Two-Run Single
• Molly Buck – 2-for-4
• Brook Reaves (Hitting) – RBI Single
• Alayna Hart – Single
• Brook Reaves (Pitching) – 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
• Lexi Rankin – Loss (6-6), 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 BB

UP NEXT

Anderson battles Bluffton University (11-17, 0-6) in an HCAC doubleheader on Wednesday at 3 p.m. at the Raven Softball Field.