IC Sweeps Knox in Regular Season Home Finale
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Illinois College softball team made the most of its final regular season appearance at home by sweeping Knox, 7-1 and 5-4 in nine innings, in a Midwest Conference doubleheader Wednesday at Jessica Kamp Field.
The victories improved the Lady Blues to 17-18 overall and 10-2 in league play while the Prairie Fire fell to 2-22 and 0-12.
Game 1 (IC 7 Knox 1)
This game was all Julia Drake. The senior scattered four hits in her seven innings of work, allowing just one run with six strikeouts. She is now 14 strikeouts shy of becoming IC's all-time leader in the category. The victory moved her to 9-8 on the season.
Drake got all the support she needed when the Lady Blues posted a five spot in the second inning. It started when Jaycie Edwards scored on a fielder's choice before Brooke Loveall singled home Taylor Henry. Consecutive doubles by Allison Mortland (two RBI) and Kayla Serpa (one RBI) closed out the scoring for the inning.
IC finished its scoring with two runs in the fifth. Cheyenne Anderson's triple and Edwards' sacrifice fly brought home the runs.
Mortland and Calynn Gicante each had a pair of hits for the Lady Blues.
Game 2 (IC 5 Knox 4 - 9 innings)
IC had to rally to post the victory in the final regular season home contest of the season and Emma Nicholson made the most of her final home at-bat, driving in Serpa with a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth for the walk-off win.
Hannah Crouch, who performed the National Anthem before the start of the doubleheader, picked up the win in relief, tossing 4 1/3 innings of shutout ball. She is now 6-4 on the season.
An Edwards single in the first gave IC a 1-0 lead before Knox scored the next four runs of the contest. The Prairie Fire held a 4-1 advantage until the fifth when Serpa doubled home Mortland to cut the lead to 4-2.
IC sent the contest into extra innings with two runs in the seventh on a Gicante double. The game remained scoreless until the ninth, setting up Nicholson's heroics.
Up Next
The Lady Blues are scheduled to travel to Grinnell on Sunday for a Midwest Conference doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m.
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