Masterful Foy Leads Trojans Past Spring Arbor Before Extra-Inning Loss to IWU 

Crossroads League Championships Central | Broadcast Highlights - Spring Arbor | Broadcast Highlights - Indiana Wesleyan

SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – Taylor pulled off an impressive 5-0 upset over third-seeded Spring Arbor to begin the day before falling in a wild extra-inning game 6-5 to No. 16 and second-seeded Indiana Wesleyan (38-11) in the Crossroads League Tournament on Wednesday. 

Mady Foy continued a run of terrific pitching for the Trojans with a shutout to begin the day against Spring Arbor. The sophomore hurler got out of jams throughout the day and notched four strikeouts to keep the Cougar offense down. 

Kaylee Larkin led off the top of the fourth with a one-hopper to the right field wall for a leadoff double. Pinch runner Meg Stanley scored on a play at the plate as the Cougar catcher dropped the ball to allow the Trojans to grab the first lead of the ballgame. 

Emri Agre began the sixth, reaching first on an error and promptly stealing second. Aleyah Rastetter notched an opposite-field single to get Agre to third. A double steal saw the catcher fake to second before throwing it away on an attempt to third, allowing the freshman to score and double the TU advantage. 

Agre continued to put her mark on the game in the bottom half of the inning. After the first two batters singled for the Cougars, Agre made a leaping catch in right to deny at least a double and a run for Spring Arbor. Foy struck out the next batter on a full count before a groundout ended the inning. 

The Trojans came into the top of the seventh looking for some insurance. Agre and Rastetter had back-to-back singles and came home on a mammoth home run by Larkin for a trio of runs for Taylor. The long ball was Larkin's 14th of the season, and with a pair of extra-base hits, she now has the second most total bases in a single season in TU program history.

TU made a wild comeback in the top of the seventh after trailing 5-0 going into the frame to take the game into extra innings. A pair of walks after the leadoff batter reached on an error loaded the bases for the Trojans with nobody out. The first run scored on a sacrifice fly, and then another out was recorded, leaving TU to score four runs without making an out. Another walk reloaded the bases, and a single by Rastetter moved everyone up a base to get Taylor the tying run on base. Livie Lehmann then skied a ball to center that fell, pushing two more runs across the board. Larkin laced a line drive single to right to plate Rastetter and level the score, sending the Taylor dugout into a frenzy. 

Foy got out of a jam in the bottom of the seventh after IWU copied the Trojans by loading the bases with nobody out. A stellar play by Madisyn Standridge got the force out at home before two terrific catches by Agre in right sent the game to an eighth inning. 

TU went down in order in the eighth, and the first two batters did not reach for the Wildcats, but they were able to scratch a run across due to two throwing errors, which ended the upset bid and the game at 6-5. 

The Wildcats scored their first five runs of the game in the opening two frames before Foy came in relief and held the potent offense at bay until the extra frame. Foy pitched six innings in the nightcap without allowing an earned run and giving up five hits, with one strikeout. 

Taylor (27-26) continues Crossroads League Tournament action on Thursday, May 2, against Mount Vernon Nazarene (29-20) in an elimination game scheduled for noon.