Thompson’s Gem Earns Softball a Monday Split

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Illinois College softball team earned a split for the second straight day on Monday, knocking off a NCAA Tournament team from 2014 with a 1-0 win over Coe to start the day. In the afternoon, the offense never got going and Wheaton (Mass.) was able to nab a 5-0 win against the Lady Blues, putting them at 2-2 on the young season. 

After an off day, IC returns to Kissimmee for two more games on Wednesday, facing Albion College at 10 a.m. EST and closing out the afternoon with Mount St. Joseph University at 2:30 p.m. EST.

Illinois College 1, Coe 0
Up against a club that won 36 games last season, Illinois College faced a tough challenge on Monday morning, but Lanie Thompson rose to the occasion to come away with the complete game shutout of the Kohawks. In her first career start, the freshman limited Coe to only two hits – a pair of soft singles that never left the infield. With Thompson leading off the third inning with a double, the Lady Blues were able to scratch the winning run across and make it hold up.

Illinois College almost took a lead in the top of the first inning. Courtney Kwasnitza led off the game with a bunt single and advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches. However, after Abby Campbell sent a fly ball into centerfield, Kwasnitza was pegged out at home on a rocket back to the plate from Brianna Gardner to keep the game scoreless.

Thompson was perfect in the bottom half of the first inning and the only Coe runner to reach in the second inning came off of an error. Thompson led off the third inning with a hard-hit grounder that nearly reached the fence, allowing her to reach second with a stand-up double. Betsy Wagers then moved her to third base on a single and Kwasnitza brought her home with a single that looped over the second baseman.

That would be all that Thompson needed to get the win. She sat the Kohawks down in order in the third inning. In the fourth, Coe got its first hit but a baserunning error ended the frame with a double play. She was again perfect in the fifth inning and the Kohawks could manage only a two-out bunt single in the sixth before Thompson got her third strikeout of the game to end the threat.

Coe's last gasp was in the bottom of the seventh. Anna Corkery led off and reached after taking a ball off the elbow. Clean-up hitter Maliah Fligg followed with a bunt attempt but was thrown out by Kwasnitza to second baseman Paige Hughey. Hughey then made a heads-up play as Corkery rounded second and tried to reach third on the play, but the throw beat her comfortably and Hannah Knapper applied the tag for the second out. A grounder to Knapper at third ended the game.

Wheaton (Mass.) 5, Illinois College 0
Monday's second game started off as another pitcher's duel, until Wheaton plated two runs in the third inning and expanded on the lead late to come away with a 5-0 victory. The win was the fourth straight for the Lyons, improving them to 4-2.

Amanda Price didn't allow a hit through the first two innings, but ran into trouble immediately in the top of the third. A single and a walk put two on with no outs, and the runners each moved up 90 feet on a stolen base. From there, all it took was a slow-rolling grounder to second to bring the lead runner home for a 1-0 lead. With two down, Knapper was able to corral a hard-hit ball at third, but her diving stop didn't give her a chance to make a throw and another run came across.

The Lady Blues responded by putting their first two runners on in the bottom of that inning, but nothing came of the threat. In the fourth inning, Brittany Fanella and Thompson hit back-to-back singles and a walk to Price loaded the bases with one out. Kinzie Verhines slapped a ball to shortstop with the infield in and the throw home beat Mickalah York to keep Illinois College off the board with two down. A Knapper ground ball back to the mound ended the inning with no runs scored.

Consecutive doubles from Wheaton in the sixth brought two runs home and ended the day for Price, bringing DJ Troli on in relief. She ended the inning with no further damage, but the Lyons did manage one more run in the seventh and three ground outs in the bottom of that inning ended the game for the Lady Blues.