After 11 Innings, Eureka Ties with Illinois College, 4-4
EUREKA – After three hours and 11 innings, the Eureka softball team tied with Illinois College, 4-4, in an extra-inning thriller at Sweitzer Field on Monday.
The game was called due to darkness after the Lady Blues and the Red Devils each scored a run in the 11th inning.
Eureka produced a three-run rally in the seventh inning to send the game to extra innings.
Pitcher Claire Wuethrich (Peoria, Ill./Peoria Christian) delivered a marathon performance in the circle. The freshman came on in relief in the second inning and proceeded to throw 173 pitches over 9 2/3 innings. She only allowed one earned run on 11 hits and two walks, and she had six strikeouts.
The Red Devils had just three hits in the game, but they put the ball in play enough to capitalize on some costly Illinois College errors.
In the seventh, Eureka loaded the bases with three straight walks, prompting IC to make a pitching change. When play resumed, Kloey Wheeler (Farmington, Ill./Farmington Central/Heartland) put the ball in play and notched an RBI fielder's choice.
Bri Tanksley (Spring Bay, Ill./Metamora) then reached on a throwing error that allowed two runs to score and tie the game. The Red Devils would advance the runner to third, but the Lady Blues got a groundout and fly-out to get out of it.
Both teams left a runner on in the eighth in a notable way.
Eureka center fielder Macey Whisker (Washington, Ill./Washington/Illinois Central College) made a sliding catch in shallow center in the top half, and then in the bottom half, she appeared to reach base and put runners on the corners after beating the throw to first on a dropped third strike. However, after a discussion, the umpires called her out and the inning ended.
In the ninth, the Lady Blues put two runners in scoring position, but third baseman Lexi Liptak (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) threw out a runner at the plate, second baseman Kacy Dunlap (Mount Sterling, Ill./Brown County/Lincoln) snagged a liner and shortstop Tressa Grisham (Morton, Ill./East Peoria) threw out a runner at first, and the Red Devils came away unscathed.
The 10th inning featured another big defensive play for the Red Devils. After starting the inning with an error and a fielder's choice that put two runners on, Grisham jumped and grabbed a flare hit to short and threw out the runner at first to complete the inning-ending double play.
The Red Devils threatened in the bottom half, but they were unable to take advantage of a throwing error that moved a runner to third.
Illinois College finally capitalized with an RBI single by Calynn Gicante to lead off the top of the 11th. The home team, however, managed to limit the Lady Blues to one run. The Red Devils tied it up after a throwing error allowed Grisham to score.
Game 1: Illinois College 9, Eureka 0
Illinois College scored six runs in the final two innings to pull away from the Red Devils in the first game of the day.
Wheeler only allowed two earned runs on nine hits and a walk in six innings, and she had a hit at the plate. Liptak and Whisker also contributed a hit in the loss.
Up Next
Eureka (3-13-1) will next open St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play with a doubleheader at Blackburn (5-7) on Friday at 2 p.m.
