Caitlynn Chalfant Gets Three Hits; Hawks Unload on Cards to Break Slump

Gilman City started off with a nightmarish week after their game with Braymer last Thursday was cut short. Gilman City was leading the Bobcats 7-0 when the rain came and the game was washed out. Long layoffs can kill momentum, and sure enough, the Hawks went into a tailspin to start the week, falling 8-2 to Princeton Monday, September 22nd and 3-1 to East Harrison Wednesday. Still hung over, and playing on back-to-back nights, they let Mercer hang around three innings, only leading them 5-3 at that point. But then, they broke out of their slump with a vengeance, scoring 14 runs and putting the Cardinals away 19-3.

When the dust had settled, the bottom of the order led the resurgence of the Hawks, with Caitlynn Chalfant and Ellie Smith both getting three hits for them. Khloey Sperry and Hailey McClure both went deep, Tenley Griffith added a triple, and the Hawks stole 11 bases as a team in a match that resembled the Coyote and the Roadrunner. The Coyote thought he was close to the Roadrunner, only for the Roadrunner to put on a burst of speed to leave the Coyote in the dust.

The game did not look like it would be an early trip home for the Hawks, as they killed two rallies with baserunning blunders before Alli Burke finally singled a pair of runs home in the second to make it 4-1. Seven Hawk errors in the game allowed Mercer to hang around as they cut it to 5-3 after the third. 

But Tenley Griffith crushed a triple to start the Hawk fourth to right field. Alli Burke reached second on a dropped fly ball to score Griffith and make it 6-3. Kayleece Puls was plunked and Parker Crabtree walked to load the bases. Caitlynn Chalfant and her magic bat came through, singling to center to bring home Kayleece Puls and Alli Burke to make it 8-3. Emily Chalfant walked and Ellie Smith singled, scoring Parker Crabtree to make it 9-3.

Caitlynn Chalfant scored on a wild pitch to make it 10-3 and then Khloey Sperry crushed a three run inside the park home run to break it open and make it 13-3. The floodgates were not closed as Avery Gregg followed with a single and then stole second and took third when the throw got away. Tenley Griffith walked and stole second. Alli Burke grounded out to score Gregg to make it 14-3 as Griffith took third. Kayleece Puls hit a pop fly single over first as Griffith scored to make it 15-3. 

Parker Crabtree reached on an error, putting Puls on second. Caitlyn Chalfant singled and Puls was safe on a throw home as Parker Crabtree took third and Chalfant second. Hailey McClure unloaded an inside the park home run to make it 19-3. 

Khloey Sperry, Caitlyn Chalfant, and Ellie Smith all had three hits. Avery Gregg, Tenley Griffith, Alli Burke, Kayleece Puls, and Hailey McClure all had one. Caitlynn Chalfant had 3 steals. Avery Gregg and Ellie Smith had 2 and Alli Burke, Khloey Sperry, Parker Crabtree, and Tenley Griffith had 1.