Kissimmee, Fla. - After some schedule alterations, it was still the start of a busy week for the Illinois Central College softball team (3-5), as the Cougars made the trip south to Florida for The Spring Games, which features a wide array of competition and multiple institutional levels were taking part. ICC opened up with Illinois Valley and Cuyahoga. The Cougars scored all their runs in one inning for a two-run victory in the opener, before dropping a tightly contested walkoff in the finale for the day. 

GAME 1 | ICC COUGARS 5, ILLINOIS VALLEY 3
One may not expect a game with eight combined runs between both sides to be considered a pitcher's duel, but to a slight degree, it was. See, seven of those eight runs were all scored in the fourth inning. Illinois Valley (IVCC) took the lead at a 1-0 clip after an inning before the second and third innings went scoreless for the Cougars and Eagles. 

That fourth inning got off to a good start for ICC when Nivarra Oredina took one pitch before getting a leadoff single. Shylar Boze followed that up with an RBI double to score here. An RBI single from Marlee Brown and RBI double from Graci Guenther all joined in to make it 3-1 Cougars before an out could be recorded in the inning. ICC's bats weren't done yet, though, with Alaina Creamer (RBI single) and Marley Williamson (RBI single) contributing to a swelling of the Cougar lead to 5-1 after three and a half. IVCC got slightly closer with an RBI single in the bottom half of that inning. 

From there, though, back to the pitcher's duel. Hanna Evans was dealing in the circle, tossing what would eventually total out to 10 strikeouts and limiting the Eagles bats to just three hits. Both teams would again go scoreless in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings to set the two-run margin of a final score.

HITTING STATS
Gracie White (RF) | 2 walks 
Marley Williamson (2B) | 1 single, 1 RBI
Nivarra Oredina (SS) | 1 single, 2 walks
Shylar Boze (3B) | 1 double, 1 RBI
Marlee Brown (1B) | 1 single, 1 RBI
Graci Guenther (C) | 1 double, 1 RBI
Alaina Creamer | 1 single, 1 RBI
Kylie Hyde (LF) | 1 single, 1 stolen base

PITCHING STATS
Hanna Evans (W) | 7 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 10 SO

GAME 2 | CUYAHOGA 7, ICC COUGARS 6
Game two of the day was a see-saw affair to say the least, and taking on the Cuyahoga Triceratopses, the action was far from fossilizing in nature. The Cougars wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, when Shylar Boze hit an RBI single to score Marley Williamson, who'd reached on a leadoff single. Freshman Broghan Hall twirled a scoreless first to keep it even for the time being.

The back-and-forth then ensued. A couple RBI singles from the Triceratopses switched the lead to 3-1 in their favor. ICC would counter, with Reagan Linder singling (RBI, scoring Williamson) and eventually scoring on a sacrifice fly from Alyssa Tudor to tie it back up at three runs apiece.

As more of the same lead trading continued, the Cougars took a late lead in the sixth off the bat of Olivia Strawn, who singled to score both Williamson and Nivarra Oredina to take a 6-5 lead. Broghan Hall held the Triceratopses scoreless in the bottom of the sixth. ICC, however, went 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh, and the opportunity was there for Cuyahoga in the bottom half. 

In the bottom of the seventh, an RBI groundout tied the game at six, but a couple groundouts to Boze and Tudor sent it to free softball. 

Oredina drew a walk in the eighth, but was unable to be sent around to home. With a runner placed on second, the inning started with a fielding error which put two runners in scoring position for the Triceratopses with nobody out, and an RBI single on the next plate appearance would end the game with a one-run victory for Cuyahoga. 

HITTING STATS
Marley Williamson (CF) | 2 singles, 1 double
Reagan Linder (DP) | 1 single, 1 RBI
Nivarra Oredina (SS) | 1 single, 3 walks, 1 stolen base
Shylar Boze (3B) | 1 single, 1 RBI, 1 walk
Olivia Strawn (LF) | 2 singles, 2 RBI
Alyssa Tudor (2B) | 1 RBI
Broghan Hall (P) | 1 single
Alaina Creamer (C) | 1 single
Madi Kessler (RF) | 1 walk

PITCHING STATS
Broghan Hall | 7 IP, 1 SO

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
2024 Spring Games Tournament
vs. Mott & South Suburban
Tuesday, March 12th - 12:45 / 3:00 PM
Hancock Park - Clermont, Florida
Watch Live (GameChanger)
Live Stats (GameChanger)