Clermont, Fla. - After a couple of losses, it looks like the Illinois Central College softball team (6-6) has turned the page and found its offensive rhythm, slugging 28 runs and 26 hits over the course of a Florida doubleheader on Wednesday against the Lake Michigan Redhawks and Hawkeye Redtails, sweeping both contests and pulling back to a .500 overall record heading into in-state competition for the rest of the regular season. 

GAME 1 | ICC 17, LAKE MICHIGAN 0 (5 inn.)
Blink and you missed it. The ICC bats went right to work. Actually, they didn't even wait a plate appearance, as Gracie White singled on a hitter's count (2-1) to lead off the bottom of the first. On the very next play, Marley Williamson reached on an error, and after White had already stolen second, she would come all the way around to score and give ICC a 1-0 lead.

Nivarra Oredina capitalized on a 2-0 count and lined a double into center field to score Williamson. 2-0. Reagan Linder reached on a first-pitch error, scoring Oredina and expanding the lead to three. Perhaps the biggest hit of the first frame came off the bat of Hanna Evans, who fought through a 2-2 count to get a single up the middle and score both Linder and Courtney Campbell for a 5-0 lead. Yes, it's the first inning. No, the bats weren't done yet. White was back at the plate and on the first pitch of the at bat, lined a double into left field and scored both Evans and Kylie Hyde to already have taken a commanding 7-0 lead after just one inning. 

Equally as important as the quick start from the hitters, Broghan Hall was keeping the bats quiet in the circle. The freshman struck out one in the first, and was pitching with as good a cushion as a pitcher could ask for. The cushion would get better, too. Nivarra Oredina took one strike then launched a leadoff home run. Shylar Boze singled, Linder reached on another error, then Evans singled, scoring Boze (9-0 lead).

Another scoreless inning from Hall set up another run-scoring inning from the bats. Boze reached on an error to score Oredina and Reagan Linder, in a degree of statistical redemption, got an RBI double after having reached on a pair of errors, this time scoring Boze and expanding the lead to 11-0 after three innings. 

A two-strikeout fourth from Hall segwayed into White reaching on an error (scoring Zoe Eeten) and Williamson's RBI single (scoring Hyde). Not to be out-done, the barrage kept coming. An RBI single from Boze and RBI single from Campbell made it 15-0. At this point, the rest of the game was a formality, particularly with how Hall was twirling it in the circle. 

Hall helped herself out with a single up the middle to score both Boze and Linder and set the 17-0 final score. A Hall to Oredina to Evans double play highlighted the defensive efforts in the final half inning. 

HITTING STATS
Gracie White (RF) | 2 singles, 1 double, 2 RBI, 1 stolen base
Marley Williamson (2B) | 1 single, 1 RBI
Nivarra Oredina (SS) | 1 single, 1 double, 1 home run, 2 RBI
Shylar Boze (3B) | 3 singles, 1 RBI
Reagan Linder (DP) | 1 double, 2 RBI, 1 hit by pitch
Courtney Campbell (CF) | 1 single, 1 RBI
Broghan Hall (P) | 1 single, 2 RBI, 1 hit by pitch
Hanna Evans (1B) | 2 singles, 3 RBI
Kylie Hyde (LF) | 2 walks

PITCHING STATS
Broghan Hall (W) | 5 IP, 0 ER, 4 SO

GAME 2 | ICC COUGARS 11, HAWKEYE 3 (6 inn.)
The final score is somewhat deceptive on this one. The Cougar bats, maybe nearly exhausted after a 17-run, 15-hit effort just moments earlier, were held scoreless by the Hawkeye Redtails through the first three innings. Over that stretch, they would take to the scoreboard first, getting an RBI single for a 1-0 lead after an inning. 

ICC finally broke through in the fourth. A leadoff single from Gracie White was followed by a single from Marley Williamson and an RBI single from Shylar Boze for the Cougars' first run. On a fielder's choice that Marlee Brown reached on, Williamson would score to go up 2-1 after three and a half. The Redtails would answer right away with a two-run homer to go back up 3-2. 

After both teams were held scoreless in the fourth, it put the Cougars a bit behind the eight ball. Not a whole lot of innings to play with, but the one-run deficit was certainly manageable, especially keeping what happened in the first game in mind. Well, ICC did their best impression of their game one performance, so buckle up for how the top of the sixth went. 

The new hit parade was three consecutive singles from Williamson, Nivarra Oredina, and Boze, loading the bases with nobody out. After a lineout, Alaina Creamer lined a double into left field and brought around both Williamson and Oredina. Olivia Strawn single to score Boze. Zoe Eeten laid down a quality bunt, forcing the Redtails to try and get Kylie Hyde at home (they did not - she scored). Madi Kessler kept the small ball going with a bunt of her own, and she got all the way to second on an error that also scored Courtney Campbell and Eeten. White reached on an error as well, scoring Kessler. Keeping track?

As much small ball as there had been in the inning, Oredina capped what would be an impressive nine-run inning with a full-count two-run home run, scoring White and setting the 11-3 final score. 

HITTING STATS
Gracie White (RF) | 2 singles, 1 stolen base
Marley Williamson (CF) | 2 singles, 1 stolen base
Nivarra Oredina (SS) | 1 single, 1 home run, 2 RBI
Shylar Boze (3B) | 2 singles, 1 RBI
Marlee Brown (P) | 1 RBI, 1 stolen base
Alaina Creamer (C) | 1 double, 2 RBI
Olivia Strawn (LF) | 1 single, 1 RBI
Zoe Eeten (DP) | 1 RBI, 1 stolen base
Madi Kessler (2B) | 1 single

PITCHING STATS
Marlee Brown (W) | 6 IP, 5 SO

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
@ Kankakee Cavaliers (13-2-1)
Tuesday, March 19th - 2:00 PM / 4:00 PM
KCC Softball Field - Kankakee, Illinois
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