Red Devils take down Regents in non-conference softball sweep
EUREKA, Ill. – Eureka College softball sophomore Kali George (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) fired a one-hitter and freshman Kerrigan Dura (Brimfield, Ill./Brimfield) smashed a 2-run home run to lift the Red Devils to a 4-1 win in game one of Wednesday's non-conference doubleheader versus Rockford, then breezed to a 9-3 victory over the Regents in the nightcap for the twinbill sweep.
The sweep improves Eureka's record to 10-2 on the season, their best start under fourth-year head coach Debi Neff.
Dura put the Red Devils on the board early with her second home run of the season. The SLIAC Hitter of the Week deposited a 1-0 pitch over the center field wall to push Eureka ahead 2-0 after one.
Junior Lexi Litwiller (Eureka, Ill./Eureka [Lincoln College]) extended the host's advantage in the third with an RBI groundout to shortstop, platting sophomore Krysten Wallace (Bartonville, Ill./Limestone).
Dura added the final nail in the fifth with a blooper down the third baseline that brought Wallace home all the way from first.
Dura had three hits and three runs batted in in the opener, followed by junior Rachel Patterson (Tremont, Ill./Tremont [Illinois Central]) with a pair of hits.
George's lone hit allowed, a solo home run to RU's cleanup hitter Brittany Bura, was the only blemish of the afternoon for the right-hander. George struck out six and walked three and improves to 5-1 on the season in the circle.
In game two, Dura again put Eureka ahead early with a scorching RBI-double down the left field line that brought in senior Savanna Tapper (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) in the bottom of the first.
The Regents took their first lead of the day in the top of the second when Mercedes Boykin lifted a 1-1 pitch over the left field fence. The 2-run smash put RU ahead, 2-1.
Eureka seized control of the contest for good in the home half of the inning, putting up a three-run frame to recapture the lead for good, 4-2. Litwiller connected on an RBI-single and Patterson later added a two-out, two-run single.
The Red Devils tacked on a run in the fifth and sixth, pushing the lead to 6-2, and the advantage swelled to 9-2 in the sixth after another three-run frame.
Bankes blasted her second home run of the season, a towering shot that cleared the storage shed beyond the left field fence. She compiled three RBIs and scored two runs, while Litwiller finished the nightcap 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and a run.
Patterson tossed all seven frames in game two, scattering five hits while allow two earned runs. The right-hander struck out five and walked three and sits at 5-1 on the season. Patterson helped herself out at the dish, tallying a 2-for-4 effort with two runs batted in.
Eureka will remain at home on Monday at 3 p.m. for another non-conference double header against Knox.