Eureka Drops Two Against Rose-Hulman
EUREKA – The Eureka softball team's three-game winning streak came to an end on Sunday with a pair of non-conference losses against Rose-Hulman.
The Fightin' Engineers got the best of the Red Devils, 5-1, in the first game of the day and took Game 2, 14-3, in five innings.
Game 1: Rose-Hulman 5, Eureka 1
The Red Devils had a hard time getting on base and manufacturing runs in the first game of the day.
The home team recorded its lone run in the third inning on a two-out, RBI single by Klaire Morris (Billings, Mont./Billings Skyview/Williston State) on a slow roller to the shortstop that scored Gada Bryant (Westville, Ill./Bismark-Henning/Rossville-Alvin/Lincoln).
Rose-Hulman pitcher Aubrey Smith struck out six batters and held EC to just one run on four hits and one walk in seven innings in the circle.
Morris, Bryant, Bria Wessel (Peoria, Ill./Limestone) and Mackenzie Daniels (Monticello, Ill./Monticello) each contributed a base hit for the home team.
The Fightin' Engineers did their damage early on, plating a pair of runs on two hits in the first inning and adding three more on three hits in the third.
Rachel Dawson (Stanford, Ill./Homeschooled) took over EC No. 1 pitcher Claire Wuethrich (Peoria, Ill./Peoria Christian) in the top of the fourth and pitched four scoreless innings. She allowed three hits and two walks and had some help from the defense behind her.
Daniels provided EC's best defensive highlight, snagging a hard low shot to third base to end the seventh inning and leave two stranded.
Game 2: Rose-Hulman 14, Eureka 3 (5 inn.)
In the second half of the doubleheader, Rose-Hulman racked up 14 runs and 16 hits and posted at least one run per inning in each of the first four innings.
The visitors opened with three runs, tacked on three more in the second, another in the fourth and rallied for seven more in the fourth to put it in run-rule territory.
Trailing by seven runs in the third, Eureka got on the board with a tricky double steal by Wessel at first and Carmen Howard (Warrensburg, Ill./Warrensburg-Latham) at third. After that, KayLee Hohlbauch (Arcola, Ill./Arcola/Lincoln) reached on an error that allowed Wessel to come home as well.
The home team scored again in the fourth on an RBI single by Wessel that scored Kacy Dunlap (Mount Sterling, Ill./Brown County/Lincoln).
Howard and Wessel each finished with a pair of hits for the maroon and gold.
Next Up
Eureka (7-6) will next continue non-conference play with a 3 p.m. doubleheader at Wheaton (9-5) on Wednesday.
