East Peoria, Ill. - The skies above Thome Field may have been gloomy in nature, but the Illinois Central College softball team (15-13) was able to take the field and get in a Region 24 doubleheader with the Danville Area Jaguars on Thursday afternoon. Danville was able to limit the Cougars bats in a 4-0 game one win. In game two, ICC nearly came back in the last two innings, but fell just short of the Jaguars in the second game, 7-5. 

GAME ONE | DANVILLE AREA 4, ICC COUGARS 0
The day started with quite the pitcher's duel. Until a Marley Williamson single in the fourth inning for the Cougars, for that matter, neither team had a hit. Danville Area had gotten four total base runners, but neither team had broken into the hit column before that. 

Danville Area would get their first hit in the fifth, but a flyout and a groundout stranded that, and that was just a small sample size of what Hanna Evans was able to do in the circle, including two 1-2-3 innings to that point. 

A Graci Guenther single would be stranded in the fifth, but the game stayed scoreless. 

Obviously one team had to break through - somebody had to score at least one. Unfortunately for the Cougars, it was Danville Area. The Jaguars led off the sixth with a hit by pitch, followed by a single and an RBI double to go up 1-0 with no outs. A couple walks and a sacrifice fly made it 3-0 with two outs. Ultimately, Danville Area would score all four of their runs for the game in the sixth. 

Almost like nothing had happened, the game resumed its pitcher's duel status. After Danville's four-run sixth, they'd go 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh, and the Cougars stranded Shylar Boze having reached on an error, alongside three strikeouts, all in all giving the Jaguars a 4-0 game one victory. 

COUGAR HITTING
Marley Williamson | 1 single
Graci Guenther | 1 single

COUGAR PITCHING
Hanna Evans | 4.1 innings, 3 hits, 4 earned runs, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Addison Church | 1.2 innings, 0 hits, 0 earned runs, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts

GAME TWO | DANVILLE AREA 7, ICC COUGARS 5
While not quite a pitcher's duel, Danville Area would slowly chip away at the run column, going up 1-0 in the second, 3-0 in the fourth, and 4-0 in the fifth. There wasn't a substantial amount of outs to play with, but the run deficit was still manageable. 

Manageable may have begun to look bleak, though, after the Jaguars scored three more runs in the top of the sixth inning to have a seemingly insurmountable 7-0 lead. After all, it was the bottom of the sixth. 

The Cougars never gave up. In fact, they nearly pulled off the comeback. In the bottom of the sixth, a Nivarra Oredina single and Shylar Boze walk set the table for Hanna Evans, who on a 1-2 count, lined a two-run double into center field to pull within five runs. A strikeout followed, meaning ICC would need at least five runs in the bottom of the seventh. 

Addison Church kept the door open with a 12-pitch 1-2-3 top of the seventh inning. Church would lead off the bottom of the seventh with a four-pitch walk as well. A strikeout and groundout put ICC down to their final out, but that's not three outs. 

Marley Williamson lined a second-pitch RBI single into left field to make it 7-3. Madi Kessler battled through a 2-2 count, knocking a two-run home run over the left field to get within 7-5. 

Alas, the fuel would reach its limit, and the comeback effort fell short with a strikeout, giving the Jaguars the doubleheader sweep. 

COUGAR HITTING
Marley Williamson | 1 single, 1 RBI, 1 stolen base
Madi Kessler | 1 home run, 2 RBI, 1 walk
Nivarra Oredina | 1 single
Shylar Boze | 2 walks
Hanna Evans | 1 double, 2 RBI
Addison Church | 2 walks

COUGAR PITCHING
Broghan Hall | 4.2 innings, 9 hits, 3 earned runs, 0 walks, 1 strikeout
Addison Church | 2.1 innings, 2 hits, 3 earned runs, 2 walks, 1 strikeout

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
ICC Softball Alumni Day
vs. Southeastern Iowa Blackhawks (DH)
Saturday, April 20th - 1:00 / 3:00 PM
Thome Field - East Peoria, Ill.