Melbourne, FL - After a two-game pit stop back in Illinois, the (RV) Illinois Central College Softball team (5-7) was back on the plane and down to the Space Coast Complex for the Space Coast Spring Games, where they opened up with the Bobcats from East Georgia State and Hawks from Hocking on the first day of game action. In the opener, the Cougar bats were firing from the get go, using a big first inning to power them to an 11-0 run-rule win over East Georgia State. In the finale for the day against Hocking, it was more of the same. While the bats remained hot, Emily Compton was terrific in the circle, twirling a no-hitter with 13 strikeouts in the limited run-rule action (15-0 Cougars).
GAME ONE | (RV) ILLINOIS CENTRAL 11, D1 EAST GEORGIA STATE 0 (5 inn.)
Broghan Hall struck out two of the three outs in the first, before her bats gave her all the help in the world in the bottom half of the inning, with a Graci Guenther two-run single, Marlee Brown two-run double, Brown scoring on an error, and a Kelsey Bartels RBI single setting a convincing 6-0 margin.
After a one-out walk, during the next at-bat, Cassidee Bauer leapt up and fired it down to Nivarra Oredina to catch a runner stealing, and on the next pitch, Bauer got it to Brown on a dropped third strike to quell any hopes of a threat.
In the second, Bauer and Guenther both reached consecutively to set the table for Brown, who hit a first-pitch single out to center field, scoring both Bauer and Guenther to go ahead at 8-0 after two.
The Cougars brought the power to this one as well, when, after fighting off three foul balls, Nivarra Oredina legged out an inside the park home run, ICC Athletics' second of the day (Nate Bartman had hit one for Baseball earlier back home), and that made it 9-0 after three.
ICC's offense wasn't done yet, either. Guenther (double), Courtney Campbell (single), and Brown (walk) all reached before an out could be recorded in the fourth. That added up to Reagan Linder taking a first-pitch single on a line out to center and scoring Guenther for a 10-0 lead. Four pitches later, Bartels made it 11-0.
Hall and the Cougar defense would make quick work of the Bobcats in the fifth, with Hall striking out the last two of a 1-2-3 inning to end the game early.
Cougar Hitting
Nivarra Oredina (SS) | 1 single, 1 inside-the-park home run, 1 RBI, 1 hit by pitch
Kayleigh Harr (3B) | 1 single, 1 walk
Cassidee Bauer (C) | 1 single, 1 double
Graci Guenther (DP) | 2 singles, 1 double, 2 RBI
Courtney Campbell (CF) | 1 single, 1 walk
Marlee Brown (1B) | 1 single, 1 double, 4 RBI, 1 walk
Reagan Linder (2B) | 1 single, 1 RBI
Kelsey Bartels (LF) | 2 singles, 2 RBI
Cougar Pitching
Broghan Hall (W; 2-3) | 5 innings, 2 hits, 0 earned runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
GAME TWO | (RV) ILLINOIS CENTRAL 15, HOCKING 0 (5 inn.)
When the game's first six batters all reach base, that's a sign of a good game ahead. It sure was for the Cougars, with a Nivarra Oredina hit by pitch, Olivia Strawn single, Kayleigh Harr walk, Bailey Herrick and Strawn scoring on an error, Graci Guenther RBI single, and Courtney Campbell RBI single all happening before an out could be recorded - it was 4-0 Cougars at that point.
Impressively, ICC still wasn't done for the inning. Far from it, actually. An RBI groundout from Reagan Linder, RBI single from Kelsey Bartels, Herrick RBI double, Harr RBI double, and Strawn scoring on a wild pitch capped off a wild first inning that already saw ICC with a 9-0 lead after three outs.
Emily Compton was on her game in the circle, striking out three in the first, three in the second, three in the third, two in the fourth, and two in the fifth for a grand total of 13 strikeouts by game's end.
Meanwhile, the run support continued to boil over. Guenther scoring on a fielder's choice put it into double figures at 10-0 in the second.
In the third, back-to-back RBI singles from Alaina Creamer and Guenther (2 RBI) were soon followed by Guenther scoring on an error and a 14-0 lead after two and a half.
The Cougars would push across one final run in the top of the fourth when Creamer hit an RBI single out to right to score Bartels and set the 15-0 final score.
Cougar Hitting
Bailey Herrick | 1 double, 1 RBI
Olivia Strawn (RF) | 1 single
Morgan Kessler | 2 singles
Kayleigh Harr (3B) | 1 double, 1 RBI, 3 walks, 1 stolen base
Cassidee Bauer (DP) | 2 RBI
Alaina Creamer | 2 singles, 2 RBI
Graci Guenther (C) | 2 singles, 1 double, 3 RBI, 1 stolen base
Courtney Campbell (CF) | 1 single, 1 RBI, 1 stolen base
Marlee Brown (1B) | 1 single, 1 RBI
Reagan Linder (2B) | 1 RBI
Kelsey Bartels (SS) | 3 singles, 1 RBI, 1 walk
Nivarra Oredina | 1 hit by pitch
Cougar Pitching
Emily Compton (W; 4-2) | 4.2 innings, 0 hits, 0 earned runs, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
2025 Space Coast Spring Games
vs. D1 Monroe (10-15) & Bryant & Stratton (WI) (0-8)
Sunday, March 16th - 12:15 / 2:30 PM First Pitches
at Space Coast Complex - Melbourne, FL
Watch Live ($) (USSSALive) - Monroe Game Only
Watch Live ($) (USSSALive) - Bryant & Stratton Game Only
Live Stats (GameChanger; "Illinois Central College 2025")
