Park Hills, MO - Bailey Herrick's RBI double in the top of the 10th inning lifted the Illinois Central College softball team to a 3-1 win over Parkland in the elimination bracket of the Central District Tourney on Saturday evening, keeping ICC's season alive and advancing them to Sunday.

Herrick's hit brought in Kayleigh Harr, who started the rally with a two-out single. Pitcher Emily Compton pitched a one-hit gem over the final eight innings while the Cougar defense backed her up with several big plays to help get the win.

"Our kids showed great resiliency today," coach Heather Doty said. "Emily had a great outing on the mound and got stronger with each inning. Our defense played confidently behind her and then we got the timely hits that we needed in the 10th."

ICC dropped their opener to Mineral Area 6-1 and then had to wait through two games before getting back on the field to face their Region 24 rivals. But the wait was worth it, as the PC win moved the Cougars into the Sunday 11am elimination game against St. Louis. STLCC had beaten Parkland 3-2 earlier in the day but then fell to Mineral Area 9-5.

If the Cougars beat St. Louis, they will face off with Mineral Area at 1:15 pm and then play the "if necessary" game at 3:30 pm. The champion gets the automatic bid to the World Series. 

Game 2: Illinois Central 3, Parkland 1 - 10 inn
The Cougars scored in the first as lead-off hitter Nivarra Oredina bunted and reached base on an error. Kelsey Bartels grounded into a fielder's choice, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Herrick's RBI single to center for a 1-0 lead. 

Parkland started off the home half of the first with a double, but starter Broghan Hall got the next three batters out to escape the inning. In the second inning, the Cobras took used three singles to manufacture a run and knot the score at 1-1.

The Cobras' back-to-back lead-off singles in the third chased Hall, bringing in Compton. Compton answered the call, using eleven pitches to set the Cobras down on a pop out, strikeout, and ground out. She stayed in control the rest of the game, giving up only a two-out double the rest of the way.

Neither team could generate much offense over the next few innings. The Cougars had hope in the top of the seventh as Reagan Linder drew a two-out walk and Courtney Campbell singled, but PC fielded a Cougar grounder to end the potential rally. 

Defense came up big for ICC in the bottom of the seventh as Oredina made a nice play at short to throw out the lead-off Cobra batter. Catcher Graci Guenther then made an amazing catch on a pop-up bunt for the second out, and Oredina handled another grounder cleanly for the third out to send the game into extras.

Bartels was stranded after a single in the eighth but Compton and the defense answered with a three-up, three-down bottom half to keep the game going.

Neither team scored in the ninth, setting up Harr and Herrick's hitting heroics in the tenth that gave ICC a 2-1 lead. Bauer followed that with a big RBI single to score Herrick and add the all-important insurance run. Compton and the defense finished the game off in the bottom half for the win. 

COUGAR HITTING 
Bailey Herrick | 2-5, double, 2 RBI
Kayleigh Harr | 3-5
Cassidee Bauer | 1-4, RBI
Graci Guenther | 1-4, double
Kelsey Bartels | 1-5

COUGAR PITCHING
Broghan Hall | 2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 K
Emily Compton | 8 IP, 1 H, 4 K

Game 1: Mineral Area 6, Illinois Central 1
 Mineral Area used a four-run fifth inning and steady pitching to get the win in the opener.

The Cardinals scratched a run in the home half of the first using a walk, sacrifice bunt, and an ICC error for a 1-0 lead. 

In the second, Cassidee Bauer had a lead-off single and Reagan Linder drew a two-out walk but they were left on base. 

The Cardinals added a run in the bottom of the third on a double and triple for a 2-0 lead but Courtney Campbell cut that in half with one swing, sending a 2-2 pitch over the left field fence and just a 2-1 deficit.

Three Cardinals' walked to load the bases in the bottom of the fifth.  With two outs, MAC got a double and and single to push four total runs for a 6-1 lead.

Kayleigh Harr led off the sixth with a single, but the Cardinal pitcher shut down the Cougar offense after that. 

COUGAR HITTING 
Courtney Campbell | 1-3, RBI, home run
Kelsey Bartels | 1-3
Kaylee Harr | 1-3
Cassidee Bauer | 1-2

COUGAR PITCHING
Broghan Hall | 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER
Emily Compton | 3.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 K

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS - CENTRAL DISTRICT TOURNAMENT - at Mineral Area, Park Hills, MO

Sunday, May 11 Schedule
11:00 am - Game 5: St. Louis vs. Illinois Central
  1:15 pm - Game 6: Mineral Area vs. Winner Game 5
  3:30 pm - If necessary game 

Watch Live: https://www.awre.tv/signup?next=/channel/t83621
Live Stats (GameChanger; "Illinois Central College 2025")

Champion will advance to NJCAA DII World Series at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, AL on May 20-25.

Saturday, May 10 - Results
Game 1: Mineral Area 6, Illinois Central 1
Game 2: St. Louis 3, Parkland 2
Game 3: Mineral Area 9, St. Louis 5
Game 4: Illinois Central 3, Parkland 1 - 10 innings