By: IC won two games on Tuesday by scores of 5-3 over Meredith College and Thiel College.
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KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Illinois College softball team received a pair of three-run home runs from
Lea Hall on Tuesday afternoon, helping the Lady Blues to victories over Meredith College and Thiel College. IC improves to 3-3 on the season.
The Lady Blues have a day off tomorrow, then finish off the trip with doubleheaders on Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, IC faces Ohio Northern University at 9 a.m. (EST) and Widener University at 1:30 p.m. (EST).
Game One – Illinois College 5, Meredith College 3
In the day's first game, Illinois College trailed from the top of the first inning until the very last at-bat of the game, but that last at-bat belonged to Hall and her three-run blast lifted the Lady Blues to a 5-3 win.
Meredith took the lead in the first inning with three straight two-out singles for a 2-0 lead. Illinois College cut the lead in half in the bottom of the second on a
Hailey Lesser RBI, driving in Hall from third. The Avenging Angels re-established a two-run lead with an unearned run in the top of the third on a sacrifice fly.
After a double in her first official plate appearance, Hall continued her hot day at the dish with a RBI double to score
Frankie Sikora in the bottom of the fifth. The Lady Blues very nearly came through with the tying run in the bottom of the sixth, but
Shelby Koehler was tagged out on a suicide squeeze to move Meredith within three outs of the victory.
After retiring Meredith in the top of the seventh and stranding a pair of runners in the process, IC came back up in the bottom of the seventh and received a one-out double from
Maddy Morgan. That ended the day for relief pitcher Payton Aldridge, as the Avenging Angels opted for their top pitcher, Taylor Jackson, to close it out. Jackson struggled with her command though, starting things out with a walk to Sikora to put two on. Next up was Hall and after seeing three pitches, she smashed Jackson's fourth offering over the fence in center to walk it off for the Lady Blues.
Hall ended the game 3-for-3 at the plate with a walk and four RBIs.
Mariah Hedges threw a complete game to get the win and improve to 2-1 on the season.
Game Two – Illinois College 5, Thiel College 3
In the day's second contest, Hall broke a scoreless tie in the top of the third with a one-out home run to bring in
Sam Seggerman and Lesser.
Jess Feig kept Thiel off the board for three innings, then made way for
Maddie Nichols, who eventually got the win by going 2.1 innings and keeping the Lady Blues out in front.
The Tomcats had gotten one run back in the bottom of the fourth with a bases-loaded walk, but Seggerman extended Illinois College's lead to 5-1 with a two-run shot to right field for the freshman's first collegiate home run. In the bottom of the sixth, Nichols ran into some trouble and Hedges came on to close it out with the bases jammed. Facing A.J. Corradi, Hedges fielded a grounder back to her and threw home for the force-out, then
Marissa Knowles threw to first to try to get the double play. Her throw was wide, but the runner was eventually caught in a run-down and the Lady Blues got the third out with an attentive runner coming home from second base.
Thiel singled twice to start the bottom of the seventh inning and brought the go-ahead run to the plate, but Hedges again came up with a big defensive play, snagging a line drive and then throwing to first to get a double play. She ended the game by getting Bailey Hoover looking on a third strike.
Hedges earned the save by throwing the final 1.2 innings for the Lady Blues.
Jackie Reilly was 3-for-4 in the lead-off spot, while Seggerman and
Elyce Trout each added two hits in the game.
