Hawks Take Down Penn St. Behrend And Trinity To Advance To The Regional Championship

SEGUIN, Texas- Entering today's slate at the Seguin Regional with their backs against the wall, Huntingdon Softball rose to the challenge, first by eliminating the #4 seed PSU-Behren with a 5-0 victory, then by avenging their loss in the tournament opener to Trinity, knocking off the Tigers 5-3 to advance to the regional championship. 

Game One v. Penn St. Behrend

Huntingdon tallied 12 hits in the victory, led by a perfect 3-for-3 performance from Kate Dinkel, who scored twice and drove in a run with a fifth-inning double. Kinley Hutto added two hits and scored once, while Kylie Stephens delivered a key RBI triple as the Hawks steadily built their lead throughout the afternoon.

The Hawks struck first in the second inning when Payton Gilchrist lined a two-run single to center field to score Hutto and Dinkel for a 2-0 advantage. Huntingdon added another run in the third after Kaylin Fincher reached on an error that allowed Dinkel to score and push the lead to 3-0.

In the fifth inning, Stephens ripped an RBI triple to bring home Taylor Au before Dinkel followed with an RBI double to cap the scoring at 5-0.

Inside the circle, Allie Roberts earned the win after allowing just two hits across four scoreless innings while striking out seven. McKenzie Little closed the door with three shutout innings in relief, surrendering only one hit and striking out two to secure the combined three-hit shutout.

Game Two v. Trinity

Huntingdon jumped on the Tigers early, taking a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Kate Dinkel scored on a wild pitch. The Hawks then broke the game open in the third as Kylie Stephens delivered the biggest swing of the afternoon, blasting a three-run double that later turned into a triple following a Trinity throwing error. Taylor Au, Maddie Grace Hubbard, and Sydie Sampson all crossed the plate during the inning to extend the lead to 4-0.

Stephens finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs, while Dinkel added two hits and scored twice. Payton Gilchrist also recorded a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 behind the plate.

Trinity answered with runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, trimming the deficit to 5-3, but the Hawks were able to keep control throughout the late innings. Huntingdon added an insurance run in the fifth when Stephens scored during a double-play ball off the bat of Riley Rudick.

Addison Gaines earned the win after tossing four innings, allowing two runs on four hits while working around five walks. Allie Roberts came on in relief and shut the door over the final three innings to collect her fifth save of the season, allowing just two hits and one unearned run.

With this pair of wins, the Hawks return to the regional championship for the second consecutive season. They'll face off with the #1 seed and regional host Texas Lutheran University, needing two wins to stay alive. First pitch is set for 10:00 AM CT.