KACEY AT THE BAT: Hun School softball player Kacey Abitz takes a big swing in recent action. Last Saturday, junior ­Abitz helped Hun sweep a doubleheader at Mercersburg Academy (Pa.) as the Raiders prevailed 11-0 and 8-6. In game two, Abitz went 4-for-4 with a double and was the winning pitcher. The Raiders, who improved to 4-6 with the wins, are scheduled to host Hill School (Pa.) on April 29 and play at WW/P-N on May 1 before hosting Blair Academy on May 2 and Immaculata High on May 4. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

After suffering a lopsided loss at Lawrenceville last Thursday, the Hun School softball team found itself at a crossroad.

The 16-4 defeat to the Big Red was the fifth straight loss for Hun since it had topped Lawrenceville 7-2 on April 11 in the rivals’ first meeting of the season.

“We had a talk after the Lawrenceville game and did a lot of soul searching,” said Hun head coach Kathy Quirk. “We talked about looking yourself in the mirror and do you want to be here.”

While the Raiders hadn’t been looking all that bad in the losing streak, Quirk acknowledged that her players weren’t closing the deal.

“It is not that we haven’t been hitting but we were leaving people on base,” said Quirk. “We were not supporting our pitchers.”

Playing a doubleheader at Mercersburg Academy (Pa.) last Saturday, Hun cleared the bases repeatedly, prevailing 11-0 and 8-6.

“Julia Revock pitched a two-hitter in the opener, she did well,” said Quirk. “We had a great hitting performance by everybody. Vicki Leach was 2-for-2 and Alexis Goeke was 2-for-3. We got two runs in the first and five in the second. They had a slow pitcher and sometimes that throws us off.”

In the nightcap, it was the Kacey Abitz show as the junior starred at the plate and was the winning pitcher.

“They got three runs in the top of the first and then Abitz came in to pitch,” said Quirk, whose team improved to 4-6 with the sweep.

“Julia Blake hit a 3-run homer in the bottom of the first to tie it up and we got three more and didn’t look back. We fell apart a little in the seventh but we were able to hold on. Abitz pitched well and went 4-for-4 with a double.”

Quirk is hoping that the big day at Mercersburg will get her team on the right track as it heads down the homestretch of the season.

“Our goal is to be at .500 after Wednesday then take it from there,” said Quirk, whose team was slated to play at Princeton Day School on April 28, host Hill School (Pa.) on April 29, and play at WW/P-N on May 1 before hosting Blair Academy on May 2 and Immaculata High on May 4.

“I want to see them play with confidence and believe in themselves. We need to do things in games that we do every day in practice. They need to communicate and talk to each other in the field. They have to know what they are going to do if the ball is hit to them.”