The Hart Pirates softball squad split both games of a doubleheader in the BC Pizza Tourney May 3, losing to Ludington, 8-7, and defeating Mason County Central, 12-0 as Kelsey Copenhaver threw a no-hiter.

Against Ludington, it came down to the last play of the game when they were down to the Pirates 7-6.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, a single by one of the Ludington players drove in the winning runs.

Two singles helped the Pirates get on the board first in the top of the fourth inning.

Reese Smith and Nora Chickering got both got singles, and they were able to score on a dropped third strike by Ludington.

Ludington then took the lead in the bottom of the fourth, 2-1.

The Pirates took a 7-6 lead in the top of the sixth when Emma Thomas hit a two-run single, then Cali Eisenlohr got a walk, which allowed another run to score, and Makenna Carrier drove in another run with a double.

That concluded the scoring for the Pirates.

Reese Smith pitched four and one-thirds innings, giving up six runs on six hits, striking out seven and giving up 6 walks.

Chickering went two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs on two hits, and walked one..

Two walks led to the Pirates scoring two runs in the bottom of the second inning,

Then the floodgates opened as Hart scored six runs on six hits in the bottom of the third inning.

Leah Walker singled, scoring a run, Kora Hiddema also singled, scoring another run, and Cali Eisenlohr doubled, and two runs scored.

And they weren’t done with the sixth inning.

Caydence Bateson singled, scoring another run, and Kelsey Copenhaver brought two more runs in with a double.

The Pirates closed out the scoring in the bottom of the fourth, and when MCC couldn’t get any runs in the top of the fifth, the game was mercied.

In her five innings of work, Copenhaver gave up no runs on no hits, struck out nine and walked three.

The Pirates got 13 hits in the game as Leah Walker and Cali Eisenlohr got three hits each.

Copenhaver and Hiddema also got multiple hits and Caydence Bateson led the Pirates with two walks.

The Pirates also got a double play.

About the game against MCC, Pirates Head Coach Dean Devries said, “I feel like that was the biggest takeaway today was our response.”

“We could have hung our hat after that first game and have really have that compound and make it into worse, but we didn’t.”

“We kept our head up, we encouraged each other,” Devries said. “We talked; we communicated; and we did what we had to do; put the bat on the ball and it was really good to see; adjusting to the different pitching we saw today and the girls response to that.”

And Devries also talked about how much they enjoyed the event.

“It’s really nice that we were able to host the tournament this year and be able to get people to come to Hart and see what we have to offer here, and it was a really nice day,” Devries said.

Deviries also said, “You had a soccer tournament, softball and baseball so everybody’s coming to Hart today so that was nice.”

“But overall, it’s nice not to travel for a tournament and be able to host and get familiar with your own field,” Devries said.