Red Devils Earn Senior Day Split with Webster
EUREKA – The Eureka softball team earned a Senior Day split with Webster in non-conference action at Sweitzer Field on Sunday.
The Red Devils grinded out a 6-2 win in the opener, then saw Game 2 get away from them in a 13-2 loss in five innings.
Before the first pitch of the day, EC honored its six seniors, all of whom have had starting roles for the team this year. The senior class includes Kennedy Savage (Bloomington, Ill./Normal), Torre Koontz (Lakewood, Ill./Shelbyville), Bailey Tibbetts (Pekin, Ill./Pekin), Jordan Heinz (Washington, Ill./Washington), Allison Cagley (Fairbury, Ill./Prairie Central) and Morgan Ledbetter (Hanna City, Ill./Elmwood).
Game 1: Eureka 6, Webster 2
Koontz started the day in the circle for the Red Devils, and she was perfect for the first five innings, retiring the first 15 batters in order.
The Gorloks couldn't reach base until the sixth inning. With Eureka leading by six runs, Webster's Reese Waggoner led off the sixth with a single through the right side to break up the perfect game and the Gorloks ended up plating their first run on three hits and an EC error.
Raelyn Payne (Lexington, Ill./Lexington) singled and Ledbetter walked in the bottom half, but the Red Devils ended up stranding two to head into the seventh inning with a five-run lead.
Webster's Kaelyn Kearney tripled in the seventh with one out and scored on an RBI single by Anna Muecke to make it 6-2. After pinch hitter Tayor Jackson singled to put two on, Eureka's Sidney Wightman (Waterloo, Ill./Gibault Catholic) took over for Koontz.
The junior promptly recorded a fielder's choice and a pop up with the tying run on deck to notch her second save of the season. Koontz recorded her third win of the season and her second of the week, limiting Webster to two runs on six hits and zero walks while striking out two in 6 1/3 strong innings.
Eureka scored its runs on a pair of three-run innings. In the first, Ledbetter drove in Heinz with an RBI double to left field. Three batters later, Savage singled through the left side to score Ledbetter and Aubrey Sanders (Paris, Ill./Paris).
In the fifth, Ledbetter launched a three-run bomb to left-center to make it 6-0. It was the EC's all-time home run leader's fourth home run of the season and the 22nd of her career at EC.
Payne, the leadoff hitter, went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored for Eureka. Ledbetter went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, a walk and four RBIs.
Savage also went 2-for-3, adding two singles and two RBIs. She also contributed the defensive highlight of the day, making a a throw from her knees to get a tough out. Tibbetts contributed a hit in the win as well.
Game 2: Webster 13, Eureka 2 (5 inn.)
Eureka fell behind in the first inning of Game 2 and couldn't get the bats going enough to stay in it.
The Red Devils amassed two runs on six hits, scoring both early on.
Down 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning, an RBI single up the middle by Sanders scored Payne, who led off with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch, putting the home team on the board.
Eureka tied the game with an RBI single up the middle by Payne in the second, but Ashlee Seltzer's sac fly RBI returned the lead to Webster in the third.
Then, in the fourth, Webster rallied for four more before ending the game early with a six-run fifth inning.
Payne had two hits and an RBI, Ledbetter doubled and Sanders had a single and an RBI. Heinz and Tibbetts each singled as well.
Coming Up
Eureka (5-10, 3-4 SLIAC) is back in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action on Monday with another doubleheader against Fontbonne (9-10, 5-3 SLIAC) at 1 p.m.
