Red Devils Pick Up Split at Iowa Wesleyan

MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa – The Eureka softball team went on the road and split a non-conference doubleheader with former St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe Iowa Wesleyan on Monday.

The Red Devils rallied late and held off the Tigers 5-3 in Game 1. Then, in Game 2, the home team responded with an 11-0 victory in five innings.

Game 1: Eureka 5, Iowa Wesleyan 3

Trailing 3-1 in the seventh inning, the Red Devils tallied four runs off three hits and two Iowa Wesleyan errors to overtake the Tigers.

In the bottom half, the home team threatened, getting two runners on base with two outs, but Sidney Wightman (Waterloo, Ill./Gibault Catholic) and the visitors got a groundout to clinch it.

Wightman recorded her third win of the season in the circle after holding the Tigers to three runs on 13 hits and three walks in seven innings.

The rally started with the Red Devils loading the bases with no outs. Delaney Douglas (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) led off with a walk, then Mackenzie Daniels (Monticello, Ill./Monticello) and Christine Mepham (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) both singled.

Abby Newmister (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington Central Catholic) drove in the first run with an RBI single to left field, then Elly Maier (Clinton, Ill./Clinton) walked with the bases loaded to tie it and prompted an Iowa Wesleyan pitching change.

After Tressa Grisham (Morton, Ill./East Peoria) reached on a fielder's choice, Kate LeMasters (Metamora, Ill./Metamora) delivered the go-ahead sac fly RBI to center. After that, Bria Wessel (Peoria, Ill./Limestone) reached on an error that brought home another run.

A second Iowa Wesleyan error loaded the bases, but the Tigers got a groundout to get out of it.

Mepham led the way at the plate for the maroon and gold, going 3-for-3 with a double in game that the team only managed seven hits.

Newmister, who drove in the first run in the seventh, also drove in the Red Devils' first run of the game with an RBI single that followed Mepham's double. LeMasters and Daniels each contributed a base hit.

Game 2: Iowa Wesleyan 11, Eureka 0

After the exciting finish to Game 1, the Red Devils couldn't keep it going in the nightcap.

The team only had four hits, with Mepham doubling again and Newmister, Daniels and Bri Tanksley (Spring Bay, Ill./Metamora) each posting a single.

Iowa Wesleyan tallied 11 runs on 11 hits with four doubles.

Up Next

Eureka is now 9-14 and 4-4 in league play on the season, with a SLIAC doubleheader at Fontbonne (10-12, 7-1 SLIAC) coming on Tuesday at 5 p.m.