GRINNELL, Iowa – The Illinois College softball team won the Midwest Conference Regular Season Championship with a sweep of Grinnell on Sunday at the Grinnell Softball Complex.
The Lady Blues won the opener 6-5 and captured the nightcap to clinch the title with an 8-0 victory.
By virtue of the championship, IC will host the Midwest Conference Tournament on May 8-9 at Jessica Kamp Field.
IC is now 28-10 overall and 13-1 in conference play. Grinnell is now 8-28 and 3-9.
Game 1: IC 6 Grinnell 5
This game was a see-saw affair, with the teams trading the lead throughout. IC jumped ahead with a run in the third inning when
Maddie Adams recorded a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0.
Grinnell answered with four runs in its half of the third, but the Lady Blues roared back in the top of the fourth with four runs of their own to retake the lead.
Bella Thien had a two-run double,
Ezzy Mauermann singled home Thien, and Mauermann scored on a Pioneer error to put IC up 5-4.
Grinnell tied the contest in the fifth before IC scored the eventual game-winner in the top of the seventh when
Shelby Seiler singled to score
Gabby Miller. The Pioneers put two runners on in the bottom of the seventh, but the Lady Blues were able to close the door and earn the win.
Alivia Darbe, Adams, Seiler, Thien, and Mauermann all had hits for IC.
In the circle,
Avery Fritz got the win in relief, throwing 4.1 innings and allowing two runs on four hits with three strikeouts.
Game 2: IC 10 Grinnell 0 (5 innings)
After the first three innings of the game were scoreless, the Lady Blues put this one away with eight runs in the fourth.
IC plated its first two runs off Grinnell's errors before Mauermann stroked an RBI single and later came home on a wild pitch. Miller had an RBI groundout prior to Darbe smashing a two-run double. Seiler closed out the inning's scoring with a two-run triple.
The Lady Blues put two insurance runs on the board in the fifth. Miller had a two-run double, and Darby recorded a sacrifice fly, which provided
Cambria Currie with all the support she needed.
Currie threw a five-inning no-hitter with a walk and four strikeouts. Seiler paced the offense with three hits.
Blue Notes
IC's 28 wins is the school record (the previous record of 25 was set by four teams)… IC has now won 15 of its last 17 contests, and 12 of those victories have been shutouts.
Up Next
IC will close out the regular season on Friday when it travels to Monmouth for a Midwest Conference doubleheader. The first game is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m.
