East Peoria, Ill. - ICC Softball (22-14) had four straight home Region 24 series ranging from April 10th-18th. After a brief road trip to Danville, the Cougars were back home at Thome Field on Friday afternoon to take on Spoon River, a Snappers program that had split with the Cougars in Canton back in the earlier portions of the month. The ICC bats certainly came to play this go-around, using an big first inning to charge ahead to a 13-8 win in game one before holding on for an 8-6 win in game two after a late surge by the Snappers. 

GAME 1 - ICC COUGARS 13, SPOON RIVER 8
Spoon River got off the bus and went right to work in the first inning, using a sacrifice fly and a solo home run to go up 2-0 after just half an inning, but as it would turn out, the offense for either team was in its collective infant stages. When it came time for the bottom of the first, the Cougars nearly batted around - before an out was recorded. 

An Olivia Stirnaman double, Brooke Cordray single, Olivia Drish double, Kiersten Manning walk, Savanah Clifton walk, and Shylar Boze grand slam turned a two-run deficit into a four-run lead at 6-2. A two-run home run for Stirnaman in her second plate appearance of the inning would ultimately cap an eight-run, 12-batter first. 

Second inning home runs hit by Manning and Kelsey Gillette put ICC into double figures, nearly the eight-run mercy rule in fact, albeit in the third inning. 

The Cougars had the long ball working, as Manning hit her second home run of the game in the third to put ICC ahead 13-4. That would be the last run of the game for the Cougars. So, knowing that in hindsight, it would become a game of holding off any late efforts from the visitors. 

That charge did come, nearly all in the same inning, an RBI single and sac fly in the fourth inning cut the run-rule spread out and made it a 13-6 game. 

With Drish in the circle, the Cougars held the Snappers scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings, with a single being the lone baserunner in that span. 

ICC, in fact, would knock out the first two Spoon River batters of the seventh and put them down to their final out. Alas, a walk and a home run would set the final score at 13-8 before the Cougars shut the door on the batter after the home run. 

Four different ICC players had multi-hit games, with Stirnaman (3 hits, 2 RBI), Manning (2 hits, 3 RBI, 1 walk), Cordray (2 hits), and Clifton (2 hits) all leading that category. 

Drish got the win, going seven innings and giving up nine hits with three strikeouts.

GAME 2 - ICC COUGARS 8, SPOON RIVER 6
After the Cougars were able to hold Spoon River to a stranding of two runners on in the top of the first, they took the momentum snuff and ran with it. The first five hitters all reached, including Olivia Stirnaman scoring on a fielder's choice and Shylar Boze lining an RBI single to take an early 2-0 lead. An Alyssa Beltran sac fly and Olivia Drish RBI walk, and a Boze three-run home run blew the lead open to 7-0 before the Snappers were able to tally their first run in the fifth. 

That one run that the Snappers scored would ultimately be just the start. A couple singles and an error loaded the bases after that home run, when Spoon River would launch its second home run of the inning, this one a grand slam, to pull back within a 7-5 score. A couple scoreless frames later, and the Snappers got even closer (7-6 to be exact) on an RBI double in the sixth. That, however, would be as close as they would get. 

Boze would continue her quality game at the plate with an RBI double in the sixth to score her prep teammate Marley Williamson to set the 8-6 final score. 

Three Cougar players would tally two or more hits, including Boze (4 hits, 5 RBI), Williamson (3 hits), and Manning (2 hits, 1 RBI). 

On the mound, Amber Lee pitched 5 innings and had two strikeouts.  Drish pitched the final two innings, striking out one.

SCHEDULE UPDATE
ICC Softball was scheduled to play at Triton College tomorrow for a doubleheader. That has been canceled. The Cougars will now travel to Lewis & Clark next Wednesday for a pair of games, with the opener starting at around 3:00 PM.