East Peoria, Ill. - The Illinois Central College softball team went toe-to-toe with #16 Spoon River but came up just short, losing 5-1 in 9 innings and 3-2 at Thome Field in Region 24 action on Monday.  Pitchers Broghan Hall and Hanna Evans each had fine performances on the mound, but the Snapper pitching staff stifled the recently hot hitting Cougars, thus breaking ICC's eight-game win streak.  ICC fell to 15-11 overall, 9-5 in Region 24 while SRC improved to 31-15 and 14-6.

GAME 1:  SPOON RIVER 5, ILLINOIS CENTRAL 1 (9 innings)
The opener was a pitchers' duel as Hall kept the SRC offense in check, scattering six hits and limiting the guests to just one run in the first eight innings.  The Cougar defense was also steady behind her, setting the tone in the first inning by thwarting a potential rally with a double play. 

The Cougars took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Gracie White doubled to left and was brought in on a Marley Williamson RBI single.  The Snappers dug in and got out of the inning with limited damage, and kept ICC scoreless the rest of the way.

Hall sailed until the fourth when the Snappers scored on two singles to knot the game at 1-1.  SRC singled and walked to put runners on first and second with one out, but Hall and the Cougars tightened and ended the inning with two fly-outs to keep the game tied.  

Neither team mustered much offense the rest of the way until the ninth, when the courtesy runner was placed on second base and Spoon River took advantage.  The lead-off batter attempted a sacrifice bunt and reached safely on an error, putting runners on first and third.  After a bunt single loaded the bases, the next Snapper doubled in the gap to center for two runs for a 3-1 lead.  A sacrifice fly and error resulted in two more runs, giving Spoon River a 5-1 lead.

The Cougars went three-up, three-down in the bottom of the ninth for the final margin.  ICC had a total of four hits in the game, with Williamson getting three of those.  

COUGAR HITTING
Gracie White | 1-4, double
Marley Williamson | 3-4, RBI

COUGAR PITCHING 
Broghan Hall | 9 IP, 3 K

GAME 2:  SPOON RIVER 3, ILLINOIS CENTRAL 2 
ICC had eight hits and got a solid performance from Hanna Evans in the circle in Game 2, but managed to score only two runs on solo homers from Evans and Zoe Eeten. 

The Cougars threatened in the first on a two-out walk by Nirvanna Oredina and single by Boze, but SRC got out of the inning with a strikeout.  In the third, Gracie White roped a double to left field, but the Snappers turned a double play to end the inning. 

SRC put runs on the board with a two-run homer in the second inning to go up 2-0. 

White doubled in the third with one out but SRC turned a double play to end the inning but ICC's hitting fortunes turned in the fifth when Evans launched a 1-1 pitch over the left field fence that pulled the Cougars to within 2-1.  The Cougars were looking for more when Madi Kessler and White followed with singles and advanced into scoring position, but the Snappers dug in to get out of the inning and keep the lead.

SRC scored an important run in the top of the seventh on a lead-off single, two walks, and a sacrifice fly to take a 3-1 lead. 

Zoe Eeten started the bottom of the seventh inning off with a bang, belting a 3-2 pitch to left field for a solo home run to cut the Snapper lead to 3-2.  Alyssa Tudor then singled, but Spoon River had three straight put-outs to end the game.  

COUGAR HITTING
Gracie White | 2-4, double
Hanna Evans | 1-3, RBI, home run
Zoe Eeten | 1-2, RBI, home run

COUGAR PITCHING
Hanna Evans | 7 IP, 3 K

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
Wednesday, April 17 at 3pm - DH 
at Lewis & Clark - Godfrey, IL
Godfrey Ball Park