HUNTINGTON, Ind. - A highly anticipated showdown between two of the Crossroads League's premier programs lived up to the hype Friday afternoon as #24 Huntington and #3 Taylor squared off at Forest Glen in the NAIA Ball Series of the Week.
The Trojans used the long ball to power past the Foresters 12-8 in the opener before delivering another decisive homer in the seventh inning of game two to secure the 4-2 win and the doubleheader sweep.
With the losses, Huntington slips to 12-3 overall and 4-2 in Crossroads League play, while Taylor improves to 18-1 and a perfect 6-0 in league action.
Game One – Taylor 12, Huntington 8
With two of the NAIA's most explosive offenses sharing the field, fireworks were inevitable, and the opener certainly delivered. Seven home runs left the yard in game one, five of which came off Huntington bats, but Taylor used an eight-run surge through the first five innings to build an early cushion that ultimately proved enough to hold off a late Forester rally.
The Trojans struck early and often, plating runs in four of the first five frames to take an 8-0 advantage, highlighted by homers from Nate Simpson and Brennan Frickel.
Huntington finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth with a four-run outburst to cut the deficit in half. The rally started when Jace Fowler drove in Deklan Thompson with a single, followed by a Cam Clarkson sacrifice fly. Moments later, the Foresters turned to the long ball as Zach Pelletier launched a solo shot before Owen Willard followed with a homer of his own to make it 8-4.
Taylor quickly responded in the sixth, matching HU's four-run inning to stretch the lead back to eight at 12-4.
The Foresters weren't finished, however.
In the ninth inning, Clarkson crushed a two-run homer, and with two outs remaining, Willard and Tanner Reinartz went back-to-back, each sending balls over the fence to pull Huntington within four before Taylor recorded the final out.
Huntington out-hit the Trojans 13-12, led by a monster performance from Owen Willard, who went 4-for-4 with two home runs and two RBI. Clarkson added two hits and three RBI, while Pelletier and Reinartz each contributed a home run. Jace Fowler also finished with two hits and an RBI.
On the mound, RJ Anglin was charged with the loss after tossing 4.1 innings, striking out three while allowing eight runs on nine hits.
Game Two – Taylor 4, Huntington 2
The nightcap turned into a pitcher's duel early with both teams trading punches in a tight contest.
Huntington struck first in the opening inning when Deklan Thompson doubled down the right field line and later came around to score on Jace Fowler's RBI single to give the Foresters a 1-0 lead. The advantage held until the fourth inning when Taylor evened things up with a solo homer by Jordan Malott.
Forester starter Max Engle kept the Trojans largely in check through six innings, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out six.
The game remained deadlocked until the seventh when Luke Sutter delivered the decisive blow, blasting a three-run homer to right field to put the Trojans ahead 4-1.
Huntington answered in the bottom half of the frame. Kade Flores crossed the plate on a Keifer Wilson sacrifice fly to trim the deficit to two, and Cam Clarkson followed with a single to keep the rally alive. But the comeback stalled there as Taylor secured the sweep.
At the plate, Fowler paced the Foresters by going 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Thompson, Willard and Owen Imel each recorded hits. Closer Dylan Eggl tossed TU's come-from-behind seventh to be tagged with the loss.
Up Next
The two teams return to Forest Glen tomorrow to wrap up the four-game series with another noon doubleheader.
The Huntington University Foresters compete in 18 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 181 NAIA All-America honors and 631 All-America Scholar Athlete honors. Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. Huntington has a top quartile ranking in the 2026 U.S. News Best Regional Universities Midwest Rankings.
