WEST LAFAYETTE — The sun had set over West Lafayette but the resolve of the Red Devils never wavered as a bright sunny day in the 50s gradually turned colder Thursday evening.
Pressure was ramping up on shortstop Eleanor Hurt, one of the 12 freshmen and sophomores playing softball for West Lafayette. Her moment arrived in the 10th inning against Twin Lakes.
Hurt's walk-off home run off Twin Lakes freshman Madalyn Bird lifted West Lafayette to a 7-6 victory.
Hurt's first home run of the season capped her 3-for-6 day to send West Lafayette to its third straight win.
"Eleanor is going to make something happen when she hit that home run, was no one surprised," West Lafayette coach Chauncey Fry said. "She's always hungry, never settles and her work ethic is contagious. She deserved that home run to end the game.”
The walk-off win cemented a milestone for Fry, who won her 100th game — all at West Lafayette since she took over in 2014.
West Lafayette (3-1) overcame five errors. Freshman pitcher Molly Mansfield struck out 14 in a 10-inning, 187-pitch effort that included 126 for strikes. Mansfield went 4-for-6 with an RBI at the plate.
"I'm so proud of Molly and what she did out there," Fry said. "For being a freshman out there, she just stayed poised and confident out there. We have 100% trust in her."
Fry after the win credited her assistant coaches Annie Dooley, Jocelyn Cavalier, Maddie Kubiak and hitting coach Maggie Ziko and her husband Shane Fry, the head football coach for West Lafayette.
""I’ve been an athlete since birth and it was great to be reminded how great coaches impact people’s lives," Fry said. "I wouldn’t be there without the support of the players, their families and especially my assistants are there with you every step of the way. These milestones remind you of why we’re here and why we do this.”
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@jconline.com, on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: West ...
