Oxford, AL - Olivia Strawn's hitting helped the #13 seeded Illinois Central College softball team to a 5-2 win over #20 Mott (MI) on the opening day of the NJCAA DII World Series at Choccolocco Park on Monday. Strawn led off the second inning with a double that scored the Cougars' first run, and her lead-off single in the sixth started the go-ahead rally to help get the Cougars the win.

Kelsey Bartels had a 3-3 day at the plate and Nivarra Oredina added two hits for the Cougars. Graci Guenther and Kayleigh Harr each had an RBI while pitchers Broghan Hall and Emily Compton combined to limit the Bears to four hits and strike out five. 

"We had some good battles at the plate against their pitcher and stayed consistent over the course of the game," coach Heather Doty said. "Olivia and Kelsey gave us a lift and Broghan and Emily kept their hitters off-balance. It was good to get this first win under our belt." 

Monday's win advances the Cougars to play #4 Des Moines Area on Tuesday morning at 10:00 am in Oxford.

SCORING RECAP
Strawn's double in the second was followed by a Guenther single to right field for a 1-0 Cougar lead. Mott tied the game in the top of the fourth on a walk, single, and error for a 1-1 score.

Strawn led off the bottom of the sixth with a single to right field to spark the Cougars. Zoe Eeten then drew a walk and with two outs, Oredina bunted down the third base line. The Bears made an errant throw on the play, allowing Strawn and Eeten to score for a 3-1 advantage, while Oredina raced all the way to third on the error. Bartles singled to bring Oredina home and after another Mott error,  she moved to second. Kayleigh Harr followed with an RBI base hit scoring Bartels, putting the Cougars ahead 5-1.

The Bears (39-10) scored a run in the top of the seventh with a single and double to draw to within 5-2, but that was all they could muster for the final margin. 

The Cougars (34-21) will now face the Bears from Des Moines Area (55-5) on Tuesday. The teams played twice back in February, with DMACC winning both games.

COUGAR HITTING
Kelsey Bartles | 3-3, RBI
Olivia Strawn | 2-3, double
Nivarra Oredina | 2-4
Kayleigh Harr | 1-4, RBI
Graci Guenther | 1-3, RBI
Bailey Herrick 1-3

COUGAR PITCHING
Broghan Hall | 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 K
Emily Compton | 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 K

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
2025 NJCAA DII World Series
#13 Illinois Central Cougars (34-21) vs. #4 Des Moines Area (55-5)
Tuesday, May 20 - 10:00 AM CST at Choccolocco Park, Oxford, AL
NJCAA Network ($): https://www.njcaa.org/network/landing/index
Live Stats: (GameChanger; "Illinois Central College 2025")