Eureka Gets Road Split at Blackburn
CARLINVILLE, Ill. – The Eureka softball team split a road doubleheader against Blackburn on Sunday to improve to 3-1 in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.
The Red Devils have now won six of their past seven games.
EC saw its five-game winning streak come to an end in a 4-1 loss in Game, then bounced back with a 4-0 shutout in Game 2.
Game 1: Blackburn 4, Eureka 1
After 3 ½ innings of play, the Red Devils found themselves tied with the Beavers at 1-1.
But in the bottom half, the Beavers matched solid hitting with untimely defensive miscues by EC, tallying three runs on three hits and two errors.
The Red Devils got at least one runner on base every inning after that, but they couldn't drive anyone in. The team left nine runners stranded on the game.
The team's lone run came in the top of the fourth inning. Bria Wessel (Peoria, Ill./Limestone) led off with a double to right field, then advanced to second on a SAC bunt by Bri Tanksley (Spring Bay, Ill./Metamora).
In the next at-bat, Christine Mepham (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) singled to center to drive in the run and even the score.
Mepham and Raelyn Payne (Lexington, Ill./Lexington) each went 2-for-3 for the Red Devils at the plate.
Sidney Wightman (Waterloo, Ill./Gibault Catholic) allowed Blackburn to three earned runs on 10 hits and one walks and struck out two in the loss.
Game 2: Eureka 4, Blackburn 0
Payne, the Red Devils' senior shortstop, had a standout performance in Game 2. She went 3-for-4 in the leadoff spot with two doubles and a home run. Her two-run bomb in the fifth inning was her third of the season and 14th in her collegiate career, tying her for second all-time in program history with Kelli Dunne (2012-13).
In the circle, Mepham recorded her second win of the season and second shutout of her career. The versatile junior didn't concede a single run on five hits and three walks in seven innings.
Kate LeMasters (Metamora, Ill./Metamora), Wessel, Mepham and Tressa Grisham (Morton, Ill./East Peoria) each contributed a hit.
Payne put the Red Devils on the board with an RBI double that scored Elly Maier (Clinton, Ill./Clinton) in the third inning. She homered in the fifth following a one-out single by Grisham. After LeMasters reached and advanced to second and third on a pair of errors, an RBI groundout by Wessel made it 4-0.
Up Next
The Red Devils (7-10, 3-1 SLIAC) are scheduled to continue league play at home on Wednesday, when Greenville (6-14, 0-2 SLIAC) comes to town for a 3 p.m. doubleheader.