By: A split of two games with Lawrence University on Sunday was enough for IC to earn a bid into the MWC Tournament for the first time since 2007.
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Box Score 2
KENOSHA, Wis. – The scoreboard may have said Lady Reds, but the Lady Blues looked so confident and comfortable in the first game of their doubleheader against Lawrence University that it seemed they must have played all their games at Carthage College this season. The 8-0 win by the Illinois College softball team in the opener of their doubleheader with Lawrence that was played at a neutral site due to weather concerns in Jacksonville ended up being the game that all but clinched a bid to the Midwest Conference Tournament for the Lady Blues.
Lawrence rallied back for a 6-3 win in the second game to end the season on a high note for the Vikings (18-14-1, 11-8 MWC), but due to other results around the MWC on Sunday, Illinois College earned the No. 4 seed to next weekend's MWC Tournament with a record of 21-15 (13-7 MWC). The conference tournament berth is the first for the Lady Blues since the 2007 season and the eighth overall for the program since joining the MWC.
Illinois College will meet the No. 1 seed and tournament hosts, Lake Forest College, in a 12 p.m. game on Friday, May 6. Prior to that game, No. 2 Monmouth College and No. 3 Carroll University will begin the tournament at 10 a.m. Both the winners and losers from the early games will meet each other later in the day on Friday and the tournament will crown a champion on Saturday, May 7.
Game One: Illinois College 8, Lawrence 0 (5 innings)
Amanda Price earned the win with a two-hitter over five innings. The senior had four strikeouts and two walks in the game, but she managed her way around two scoring threats by the Vikings to complete the shut out on her end. The Illinois College offense did the rest, scoring one run in the first inning, two in the second and five in the third to pull away.
Jackie Reilly was 3-for-3 at the plate with three RBIs and a run scored to pace the IC attack.
With so much on the line, Price could have been excused if she had any early nerves. Lawrence drew both of Price's walks in the first inning, but she got the third out of the inning on a strikeout looking to bring the top of the first to a close. Reilly then doubled sharply down the left field line with one away and moved to third on a
Katie Prizer single. With runners on the corners,
Elyce Trout singled past the shortstop to allow Reilly to stroll in for a 1-0 lead.
In the second, Illinois College kept the runs coming.
Hannah Knapper doubled to deep center and
Abby Campbell drew a walk to put two on with one away. An error from the Lawrence defense then opened the door for two more runs for the Lady Blues.
Shelby Koehler grounded back to the pitcher and she threw to third to try to get the lead runner, however the third baseman then threw across the diamond to try to complete the double play. Koehler was hustling and was safe on the play and the first baseman's throw back over to third to try to get Campbell ended up with the ball caught behind a tarp for a two-base error that put Koehler on third and scored Campbell for a 2-0 lead. Reilly then singled straight back up the middle to bring Koehler in and up the lead to 3-0.
Lawrence had one legitimate chance to get back into the game and it came when the Vikings notched both of their hits off of Price. A bunt single broke up the no-hitter with two outs in the inning and that was followed by a soft base hit back up the middle that left two runners in scoring position. Needing one more out to escape the jam, Knapper dove and snared a sharp line drive to end the LU half of the inning.
In the bottom of the third, Illinois College put the game away. Trout led off with a single and
Lea Hall laid down a bunt hoping to sacrifice pinch-runner
Natalie Halpin over to third, but the throw was off-line and Hall and Halpin ended up at second and third. Next up,
Kinzie Verhines reached on an error by the shortstop which was compounded by a late throw to first and an error from the first baseman that scored Halpin and put Hall on third.
Marissa Knowles followed with a single to center field to score a run and Campbell drove in another. Later in the inning, Reilly singled through the left side of the infield to drive in two more runs and make it 8-0 at the end of three.
Price gave Lawrence no chance from there, retiring the final six hitters in order and ending the game after the top of the fifth inning. The win improved her to 8-4 on the season while Maddie MacLean took the loss to drop to 10-8. With the loss, the Vikings were eliminated from contention for a MWC Tournament berth.
Game Two: Lawrence 6, Illinois College 3
While the second game didn't go according to plan, other results fell into place around the rest of the MWC to allow the Lady Blues to slot into the fourth and final spot in the MWC Tournament. Lawrence scored one run in the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings to take a 6-0 lead. IC rallied in the bottom half of the seventh but it was too late for the Lady Blues to come all the way back.
After Lawrence had taken a 1-0 lead in the second inning, the Lady Blues had a good opportunity to tie it or take the lead, but a hard Knowles grounder was straight to third base and the threat ended with IC still trailing, 1-0.
The Vikings consistently added onto the lead throughout and it wasn't until the bottom of the seventh that Illinois College began to come back. Hall began the rally with a lead-off double and Verhines was next up with a single and an advance to second to put two runners in scoring position. Knowles plated the first run on a sacrifice fly and another run scored on a double by Campbell to make it 6-2. The third run of the inning came in on a Koehler sacrifice fly to make the score 6-3, but the game ended as Reilly hit a hard grounder to third.
Mariah Hedges took the loss to fall to 8-3 on the season. Campbell led IC with two hits in the game.
