Eureka Sweeps Blackburn to Open SLIAC Play

CARLINVILLE, Ill. – The Eureka softball team opened St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play with a sweep at Blackburn on Friday.

The Red Devils edged the Beavers a 3-2 victory in Game 1, and then followed with it up by notching a season-high 17 hits in a 10-4 win in Game 2.

Game 1: Eureka 3, Blackburn 2

Senior Christine Mempham (Bourbonnais, Ill/Bradley-Bourbonnais) drove in a run in the fourth inning, and after Blackburn tied the game in the fifth, the Red Devils manufactured two more to take a two-run lead.

The Beavers got one back and loaded the bases in the sixth, but EC pitcher Claire Wuethrich (Peoria, Ill./Peoria Christian) got a groundout to get out of the jam and retired the side in the seventh to secure her second win of the season. The freshman went all seven innings, and only allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while posting three strikeouts.

Eureka posted seven hits at the plate. Macey Whisker (Washington, Ill./Washington/Illinois Central College) went 2-for-3 with a double. Lexi Liptak (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) notched a pair of base hits and reached on an error that allowed Carmen Howard (Warrensburg, Ill./Warrensburg-Latham) to score in the sixth. Kaylee Hohlbauch (Arcola, Ill./Arcola/Lincoln) followed it with a sac fly RBI.

Delaney Douglas (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) and Gada Bryant (Westville, Ill./Westville/Lincoln) each recorded a hit as well.

For the eighth time this season, Eureka didn't commit a single error in the field.

Game 2: Eureka 10, Blackburn 4

Eureka finally got the bats going in Game 2. Eleven Red Devils recorded a hit in the win and five notched multi-hit games.

Bria Wessel (Peoria, Ill./Limestone) led the way, going 3-for-4 with a home run and a pair of RBI. The junior went yard for the second time this season with a solo shot to put the Red Devils on the board in the second inning.

The maroon and gold then posted three runs on four hits and a pair of Blackburn errors in the third and plated a fifth off an RBI double by Bryant in the fourth.

The Beavers rallied back with four runs on four hits and three EC errors to make it a one-run game in the bottom of the fourth.

Two innings later, however, Eureka produced five runs on four hits and two Blackburn errors. The surge included a two-run single by Kloey Wheeler (Farmington, Ill./Farmington Central/Heartland), a sac bunt RBI by Douglas, an RBI off the bat of Liptak and a final RBI single by Wessel to round it out.

Freshman Kloe Norris (Manito, Ill./Midwest Central) came away with her second win of the season after allowing three earned runs on four hits and zero walks and striking out a pair in 3 1/3 innings. Wheeler took her place in the fourth and did her part, throwing 3 2/3 scoreless innings on four hits and no walk with two strikeouts.

She also went 2-for-4 with a double and a team-high three RBI at the plate. Bryant went 2-for-3 with a double. Hohlbauch and Whisker each had a pair of hits as well, and Mepham contributed a double.

Up Next

Eureka (5-13-1, 2-0 SLIAC) will turn around and take on Westminster (0-22, 0-1 SLIAC) on the road in another SLIAC doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m.