APPLETON, Wis. – With road wins at Lawrence University by scores of 3-0 and 11-0 on Saturday, the Illinois College softball team clinched a bid into the Midwest Conference Tournament next weekend. The Lady Blues improve to 19-13 (13-5 MWC) on the season.
Illinois College has assured itself a top-four finish but will await the conclusion of MWC play over the next two days to find out who will be the host of the tournament. The regular-season champion will host the two-day, double-elimination tournament on May 3 and 4.
Game One: Illinois College 3, Lawrence 0
Sydney Hood won the first game of the day with a complete game five-hit shutout to improve to 10-5 on the season. The freshman gave up only five hits in 7.0 innings and struck out six in the contest.
Illinois College scored twice in the top of the first when
Jackie Reilly led off with a double and
Hailey Lesser tripled her home. Later in the inning,
Grace Frost doubled home Lesser for a 2-0 lead.
A fast-moving game had the scoring capped in the fourth inning.
Madisyn Webster singled to lead off the frame. Two batters later,
Sam Seggerman kept the inning alive with a two-out single and Reilly then singled Webster in for a 3-0 advantage.
Lawrence brought the tying run to the plate in both the fifth and sixth innings, but Hood got out of the jam each time and maintained her shutout.
Game Two: Illinois College 11, Lawrence 0 (5 innings)
After tying the school record for doubles with her lead-off hit in the first game, Reilly cleared the bases late in game two to take the record all for herself. Already up, 8-0, Reilly drove in three with a two-bagger down the left field line in the fifth inning to wrap things up for IC and ensure that Lawrence couldn't keep the game going any further than five.
Jess Feig struck out nine and allowed only two hits in her 5.0 innings. The IC offense scored in each of its four turns at the plate, taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning and extending it to 6-0 after three before a five-run fourth.
In the first inning,
Ryleigh Keith singled in Reilly and
Savanna Brady for a 2-0 edge. Lawrence then committed three errors in the second and third innings to help the Lady Blues extend their lead to 6-0.
Megan Spain had a RBI single on a bunt that scored Webster during that stretch.
Spain and Seggerman then each added RBIs in the bottom of the fourth to make it 8-0 with the bases loaded for Reilly. Her record-breaking double upped Illinois College's lead to double-digits. The Vikings managed a pair of walks in the fifth, but Feig induced a pair of foulouts as well and the ball never left the infield in the inning, wrapping up the win via the mercy-rule.
Seggerman ended game two with a 3-for-3 showing at the plate. Reilly, Keith, Webster, Spain and
Frankie Sikora all had two hits in the game.
