Godfrey, Ill. - The Illinois Central College softball team used strong pitching and a big blast of offense in the nightcap to sweep Lewis and Clark in Region 24 action on Wednesday at Godfrey Ball Park.  Pitchers Kiersten Manning, Olivia Drish, and Amber Lee combined for 21 strikeouts and limited LCCC to just one run while the offense clubbed 23 hits in the victories.  The Cougars have now concluded their regular season Region XXIV games and have secured a top four seed in next week's region tournament, meaning they will host a quarterfinal game on Tuesday, May 2 at Thome Field with the opponent yet to be determined.  

Game One:  ICC 2, Lewis & Clark 0
ICC got on the board in the top of the first as Olivia Stirnaman singled and was brought in by a Brooke Cordray double to go up 1-0.  Manning, seeing her first action on the mound since April 18, struck out the side in the bottom of the first.  She would end up fanning a total of 16 LCCC batters on the day. 

With Manning in the zone on the mound the Cougars didn't need much offense which was a good thing.  They did manage base hits by Cordray (in the 3rd), Shylar Boze (in the 4th), and Kylie Hyde (in the 5th).  ICC added a run in the sixth as Drish doubled and scored on a Manning ground out to put ICC ahead 2-0.

Hitting leaders
Brooke Cordray | 2-3, double, RBI
Olivia Drish | 1-3, double
Kiersten Manning | 1-3, double, RBI

Pitching
Kiersten Manning | 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 16 K

Game Two, ICC 12, LCCC 1 (5 innings)
This one was all Cougars as they took control in the first inning and never looked back. Stirnaman and Drish had lead off walks and scored as Manning cleared the bases with a three-run homer, her team-leading 12th on the season.  Boze belted a two-out double to center field and Kelsey Gillette walked.  They were brought in by back-to-back singles by Alyssa Beltran and Gracie White to give ICC a 5-0 advantage.

Lewis & Clark scored their only run on the afternoon in the bottom of the first on a double and single to make the score 5-1. 

The Cougars added four runs in the top of the fourth as Manning singled and then Savanah Clifton hit a two-run home run.  Gillette, Beltran, Marley Williamson, and Drish all singled to manufacture three more runs for a 10-1 lead.

Clifton led off the top of the fifth with single homer to center field.  Boze singled, Beltran and White walked, and Stirnaman poked an RBI single to give ICC a 12-1 lead.  

Drish pitched the first three innings and Lee finished up the final two innings as ICC had a nice double play to end the game in five innings.

Hitting leaders
Kiersten Manning | 3-4, home run, 3 RBI
Savanah Clifton | 2-4, 2 home runs, 3 RBI
Shylar Boze | 3-4, double
Alyssa Beltran | 2-3, RBI
Gracie White | 1-2, RBI
Olivia Drish | 1-4, RBI
Olivia Stirnaman | 1-2, RBI

Pitching
Olivia Drish | 3 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 K
Amber Lee | 2 IP, 3 H, 1 K

Next up:  The Cougars, now 24-14 overall and 17-7 in Region 24, will host Black Hawk in a non-Region 24 double-header on Saturday, April 29 at Thome Field at 1pm.