IC Opens Conference Play with a Sweep of Lawrence

DE PERE, Wis. – The Illinois College softball team opened the Midwest Conference portion of the season with a bang, sweeping Lawrence, 13-0 and 7-5, on Tuesday at Miron Construction Field on the campus of St. Norbert.

The win moved IC to 7-16 overall and 2-0 in conference play. The Vikings dropped to 6-12 and 0-2.

Game 1 (IC 13 Lawrence 0, 5 innings)
Julia Drake tossed a no-hitter and Jaycie Edwards spurred the offense as the Lady Blues erupted for a season-high 13 runs in winning the conference opener.

Drake struck out eight and retired 16 of the 19 batters she faced to earn her fourth victory of the campaign.

The offense got going early as IC scored four runs in the top of the first. Cheyenne Anderson's two-run double opened the scoring before Edwards and Brooke Loveall each added RBI singles. The Lady Blues then added a pair of runs in the second to make it 6-0 on RBI singles from Edwards and Taylor Henry. 

IC broke the game wide open in the third with six more runs. Allison Mortland singled home a run. After Mortland scored on a Lawrence error, Edwards stroked a two-run single and Elysia Hand drove home two more with a double. Edwards then closed out the scoring with an RBI single in the fifth to make it 13-0.

Edwards was 4-for-4 with five RBI while Henry added three hits in four trips to the plate. Anderson and Hand each drove in two runs for IC.

Game 2 (IC 7 Lawrence 5)
IC scored the first seven runs of the game and then held off a late Viking rally to post the sweep.

The Lady Blues opened the scoring with a solo run in the second inning when Hand singled home Henry. The contest remained scoreless until the sixth when IC exploded for six runs.

Emma Hardiek got things rolling with an RBI single before Mortland drove in a pair with a single. Consecutive doubles by Calynn Gicante (two RBI) and Anderson closed out the IC scoring for the day.

Lawrence got back into the game in their half of the sixth, plating five runs but the Lady Blues pitching staff shut the Vikings down for the last four outs of the game to secure the sweep.

Hannah Crouch started in the circle and earned the victory, tossing 5 2/3 innings, allowing five runs on five hits with four strikeouts. Henry came on in relief to get the final out of the sixth inning before Drake tossed a 1-2-3 seventh with a strikeout to earn her first save of the season.

Mortland and Gicante each drove in two for the IC offense. Gincante, Anderson, Henry, and Hand all had two hits apiece for the Lady Blues.

Up Next
The Lady Blues are back in action tomorrow when they travel to Ripon for a Midwest Conference doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m.