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Lady Vikings win wild one over Homestead, 9-7

The Huntington North High School varsity softball team overcame a three-run deficit early and then had to hang on to top visiting Homestead 9-7, on Monday, April 21.

The Lady Vikes got back-to-back home runs from Erin Rethlake and Alyssa Hiple to wipe out a 4-1 deficit in the third inning. After taking a 9-4 lead into the final inning, Homestead mounted a three-run charge of its own before Rethlake was able to close the door on the team's fifth win in six outings.

Rethlake, unscored upon in the first three games she pitched this season, was racked for eight hits and five earned runs, with five of those hits, including a homer, and three runs coming in the top of the seventh.

Hiple had three hits and three runs batted in and Rethlake had two hits and three runs batted in to lead the HNHS offense, and Maddi Kennedy added three hits and two RBI.

The Lady Spartans got back-to-back doubles from J. Schneider and Allie Barley in the top of the first inning to take a 3-0 lead, but HNHS got one back in the bottom of the frame on a Hiple RBI hit. Homestead got another tally in the third for a 4-1 lead, but the Lady Vikes flexed their muscles on the long balls by Rethlake and Hiple and squared things at 4-4 heading into the fourth.

Natasha Grover had an RBI double and Hiple added an RBI single as the Lady Vikes put up a three-spot in the fourth inning for a 7-4 lead. A double by Tori Newsome, who had two hits in the contest, and an RBI single by Kennedy helped HNHS rack up two more runs in the fifth, which proved to be useful when Homestead rallied in the seventh.

The Lady Spartans' H. Brummett reached Rethlake for a rare homer to get the first two runs of the seventh for Homestead, then three more singles got the last Homestead run home before Rethlake was able to get the final out.

The Huntington North junior varsity smacked around its Homestead counterpart 17-7, at Homestead on Monday, April 21.

Mackenzi Cannici had a pair of doubles among her three hits, and Aubrie Eckert also had three safeties to lead the HNHS offense. Erin Burke and Kelsie Vogleman both had two hits as HNHS piled up 16 for the game.

Hannah Middlebrooks was the winning pitcher, giving up nine hits and striking out five in five innings.