Eureka caps successful Spring Trip with sweep

NORTH MRYTLE BEACH, S.C. – Freshman Kerrigan Dura (Brimfield, Ill./Brimfield) knocked in five runs on two hits, guiding the Red Devils to an 8-3 victory over Morrisville State (N.Y.), before turning around and earning a 3-2 win in 11 innings over Wisconsin-Stout, Wednesday during Eureka's final day of action in the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic. The Red Devils head home with a 7-1 mark.

The Mustangs jumped on top of the Red Devils early, building a 3-1 advantage over the first two innings of play. Junior pitcher Rachel Patterson (Tremont, Ill./Tremont [Illinois Central]) helped herself out by getting the first EC run on the board with a sacrifice fly to center in the bottom half of the second.

In the third Dura crushed a triple driving home senior Savanna Tapper (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) and sophomore Krysten Wallace (Bartonville, Ill./Limestone) to tie the contest at 3-3.

Junior Bridget Bankes (East Peoria, Ill./Heartland) and Patterson each smacked RBI singles later in the inning to push the Red Devils in front, 5-3.

Dura grounded home another in the fourth, and doubled in two more in the sixth to account for six of Eureka's eight runs (five RBI, one run scored).

Patterson settled down after the first two innings to move her record to 4-0 on the season. The righty tossed a complete game, scattering six hits, walking two and striking out a season-high ten batters.

Eureka wanted to play four extra innings of softball versus Wisconsin-Stout in their final contest before leaving the sunny state of South Carolina.

The Blue Devils placed two runners home in the 3rd to hold a 2-0 lead, but Eureka answered in the home half of the frame, tying the contest with a pair of unearned runs.

Eureka and Stout remained scoreless over the next 49 outs and began using the international tiebreaker rule after the eighth inning, allowing the last runner out in the previous at-bat to start at second base.

The Red Devils played stout defense through their nine outs of tiebreaker play and capitalized in the bottom of the 11th when Patterson's grounder was misplayed by the Stout shortstop, bringing home the game-winning run.

Sophomore Kali George (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) was a workhorse in the circle, firing eleven innings of eight-hit ball while walking three and striking out one.

The Red Devils will return home to Eureka to face Alverno College on Sunday. First pitch of the non-conference double header is set for noon.