East Peoria, Ill. - The Illinois Central College softball team's bats are warming up just like the spring weather, and it couldn't come at a better time as ICC downed Lewis & Clark 10-7 and 11-5 in Region 24 action at Thome Field on Wednesday. The Cougars combined for 27 hits in the double-header to get their sixth win in a row and move their record to 13-9 overall and 7-3 in Region 24. Lewis & Clark fell to 2-19 overall and 1-6 in Region 24.
GAME 1: ILLINOIS CENTRAL 10, LEWIS & CLARK 7
Nivarra Oredina and
Shylar Boze combined for five RBI and each had three hits to lead the Cougars in the opener.
ICC took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first as
Marley Williamson walked, stole second, and scored on Oredina's single to center.
Marlee Brown then smacked a base hit to score Oredina for the 2-0 advantage.
The Blazers answered with two runs in the top of the second on two singles, two walks, & a hit batter. ICC responded with three runs in the bottom of the second as
Madi Kessler and
Gracie White led off the inning with singles. Oredina then cranked a 2-0 pitch to left field for a triple and Boze followed with an RBI single to put ICC ahead 5-2.
The Cougars added a two-spot in the bottom of the fourth as Williamson was hit by a pitch and Oredina had a single to left field. Boze again stepped up, this time with a base hit that scored Williamson, and then Brown had an RBI single scoring Oredina as the home team took a 7-2 lead.
LCCC put three runs on the board in the top of the fifth on a two-run homer and an error to cut their deficit to 7-5 but he Cougars picked up a run in the bottom half on back-to-back doubles from White and Williamson to keep the Cougars on top at 8-5.
The pesky Blazers would not go down without a fight, scoring two runs in the top of the sixth to pull to within 8-7. The Cougars responded with two runs in the bottom of the sixth as Boze doubled and scored on a passed ball and Kessler had an RBI single for the 10-7 final margin.
COUGAR HITTING
Nivarra Oredina | 3-4, 3 RBI, triple
Shylar Boze | 3-4, 2 RBI, double
Marlee Brown | 2-3, 2 RBI
Marley Williamson | 1-2, 1 RBI, double
COUGAR PITCHING
Hanna Evans | 7 IP, 4 K
GAME 2: ILLINOIS CENTRAL 11, LEWIS & CLARK 5
Zoe Eeten (two solo homers) and White (three-run home run) provided the offensive punch in Game 2 as the Cougars had a total of 14 hits.
The Cougars combined for six runs in the first two innings, scratching a run across in the bottom of the first on a White single, Williamson walk, and Boze RBI single.
Eeten led off the bottom half of the second with a solo shot to center and then Kessler started a two-out rally with a single on a 1-2 pitch. As in the previous inning, White singled and Williamson walked, only this time it was Oredina who provided the RBI single that scored White. Boze then poked a 1-0 pitch to left for an RBI double, putting the Cougars ahead 6-0.
Freshman pitcher
Broghan Hall sailed through the first three innings but ran into trouble in the fourth and the fifth, surrendering a combined five runs and narrowing the Cougar lead to just 6-5.
Hall helped her own cause leading off the bottom of the fifth with a single and Kessler did the same, putting runners on first and third. White delivered the breathing room the Cougars needed, sending a 1-2 pitch over the left field fence for a three-run homer to give ICC a 9-5 cushion. The Cougars added another run as Williamson reached on an error and scored on an Oredina single to double up the score at 10-5.
Hall and the defense shut down the Blazers the rest of the way while Eeten added another homer in the bottom of the sixth.
COUGAR HITTING
Gracie White | 3-4, 4 RBI, home run
Nivarra Oredina | 2-4, 2 RBI
Shylar Boze | 2-3, 2 RBI, double
Zoe Eeten | 2-4, 2 RBI, 2 home runs
Reagan Linder | 1-4, double
Madi Kessler | 2-4, 2 RBI
COUGAR PITCHING
Broghan Hall | 7 IP, 3 K
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
Saturday, April 13 at 12pm (DH)
at Heartland at the Corn Crib
Bloomington, IL
Schedule change: ICC will play at Danville on Monday, April 29 at 3pm at Winter Park.
