Huron keeps SBC Bay hopes alive with win at Oak Harbor

OAK HARBOR — Huron's chances of winning the SBC Bay Division took a hit with a Monday loss at Margaretta. The Tigers had no choice but to put that behind them, they said, with a visit to Oak Harbor on Wednesday's calendar. "We don't have time to sit and worry about the loss," Huron coach Jude Schmidt said. "We had to move on." Huron bounced back in a big way, beating the Rockets 14-2 in five innings. Eight different Tigers notched hits, with six compiling multiple knocks — Rae Roldan, Meadow Bess, Eliza Maloney, Carly Chambers, Mallory Majoy and Jen Cobleigh. Maloney also went deep and earned the win in the circle with six strikeouts. The win pushes Huron to 14-5 on the season with a 6-2 record in Bay play. That's a half game behind Margaretta's 6-1 in the league after the Polar Bears beat Willard on Wednesday. With Edison also sitting on two division losses, Margaretta's upcoming games against Oak Harbor (May 1) and the Chargers (May 3) will likely decide whether there are co-champions or one champ. All Huron could do Wednesday was take care of its end of things to stay in the hunt. The Tigers got on the board almost immediately when Roldan singled and was driven in by Chambers in the first. They scored again in the second after hits from Majoy and Lauren Wainwright were followed by an RBI single from Roldan. "I just knew that we just needed singles," Roldan said. "I wasn't trying to crush it or anything… I just mentally prepare myself. I just need to hit a little gapper, not too hard or anything special, just doing my thing." Maloney controlled matters early in the circle, recording strikeouts on four of her first six outs. One came looking on a pitch at the knees, and another painted the inside corner, while two were up in the zone for swings and misses. Then Maloney led off the third with a high fly to left, directly into the wind. But she'd gotten all of it, too much for the breeze to keep in the yard, and she rounded the plate with her sixth home run of the year. "It felt good," Maloney said. "I knew it was either a popup or out (of the park)." The Rockets kept Huron to one run apiece in each of the first three innings, but the Tigers seized the game in the fourth and fifth innings. In the fourth, hits by Roldan, Bess, Maloney and Chambers, along with an error and a run-scoring groundout by Kennedy Camp, added up to four runs. In the fifth, Huron tallied six hits, with the top four in the order of Roldan, Bess, Maloney and Chambers again all noticing singles. The Tigers' bench pushed the last few of seven runs across the plate, with both Annabelle Herzog and Emma Shaw lining run-scoring singles to center. "It's really fun to watch," Roldan said. "It's fun to see the girls that don't play that much get out there and do their thing, because they deserve as much time as we do." Maloney gave up a pair of hits to start the fifth, including an RBI knock for Alyse Sorg, but she retired the next three batters to end the game by the 10-run rule after five. "I told myself to focus mentally," Maloney said. "... I told myself to push through even if I'm feeling a little tired." Huron's remaining SBC Bay schedule features Port Clinton and Willard, teams the Tigers beat by a combined 24 runs earlier this season. The Tigers' toughest remaining league test was at Oak Harbor on Wednesday, and they took care of business. If Margaretta beats Oak Harbor on Saturday, it'll likely all come down to Monday's Edison-Margaretta game at Edison. A Chargers win at home would line Huron up for a division co-championship. Maloney, for one, is ready to root for Edison. "I'll be watching that one," Maloney said. "I think we have a game Monday, but I'll be watching, I'll be making sure (Edison) wins." Huron 111 47 — 14 17 2Oak Harbor 001 01 — 2 5 5 WP: Eliza Maloney. LP: Cienna Heineman 2B: (H) Carly Chambers, Mallory Majoy. HR: (H) Maloney