COVER PHOTO: Grace Stallard
The Hopkins softball team Thursday afternoon pulled out a couple of gritty wins from non-league opponent Zeeland East to lift its overall season record to 6-7-1.
The Lady Vikings used a five-run rally in the bottom of the eighth inning to edge the Chix, who had broken the extra inning deadlock of four runs in the top of the eighth.
Coach Amy Funk described the first game as “Pretty intense. Their starting pitcher was out with an injury and they had a freshmen who doesn’t usually pitch and she was slow.
“We struggled and they started timing Hannah (Brinks) late in the game.”
Brinks captured the victory on the mound. She’s been in two nail-biters already this week, having battled Calvin Christian to a 6-6 tie.
“The second game was much better,”the coach said. My sophomore Gracie (Stallard) pitched well in her first seven-inning game of the season.”
The Vikings lashed out 14 hits, with the usual suspect ts doing the most damage. Ava VanderKolk and Lyla Reynolds both drilled three hits. Both delivered a home run, VanderKolk crashed a double and Reynolds a triple.
Hannah Brinks came up with two hits, as did McKenna Funk and Kelsey Burgess.
The Lady Vikings will travel to Allendale Saturday.
