Red Devils Stumble Against Spalding at Home

EUREKA, Ill. – The Eureka softball team returned to Sweitzer Field for a SLIAC doubleheader against Spalding on Friday afternoon, but came up short in both contests, falling 7-2 in Game 1 and 11-2 in Game 2.

GAME 1 – Eureka 2, Spalding 7

A three-run first inning gave Spalding an early edge in Game 1, and the visitors rode a 16-hit performance to a 7-2 win over the Red Devils.

Spalding got on the board quickly, as Gambrell doubled to right center to open the scoring, and RBI singles by Wilkins and Loechle made it 3-0. Another run came across in the fourth after an error, and the Golden Eagles added a fifth in the fifth inning.

Eureka responded in the sixth. Callie Warlow (Le Roy, Ill./Le Roy) sparked the rally with her third hit of the day, and Mackenzie Daniels (Monticello, Ill./Monticello) laid down a bunt single. Ashlyn Voyles (Farmer City, Ill./Farmer City) followed with an RBI single up the middle, scoring Warlow. Danika Apostolovich (Riverside, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield), running for Voyles, stole second, and Daniels came home on the throw down to bring the Red Devils within three.

Spalding added two more in the seventh to put it out of reach, sealing a 7-2 win in the opener.

GAME NOTES

• Callie Warlow went a perfect 3-for-3 with a run scored.
• Mackenzie Daniels tallied a hit, a run, and a stolen base.
• Ashlyn Voyles went 1-for-3 with an RBI.
• Alyssa Bundren (Spring Bay, Ill./Metamora) pitched a complete game, allowing six earned runs on 16 hits with one strikeout.

GAME 2 – Eureka 2, Spalding 11 (5 Innings)

Spalding broke Game 2 wide open with a 10-run second inning, rolling to an 11-2 win in five innings.

The visitors took the lead in the first on a pair of Red Devil errors, and the second inning proved costly for Eureka. Spalding took advantage of walks and defensive miscues to put together a ten-run frame, highlighted by RBI knocks from Wilkins, Marcum, and Terral.

Eureka's defense bounced back to keep Spalding scoreless in the third and fourth innings. Tylar Whitaker (Country Club Hills, Ill./Rich Township) recorded a pinch-hit single in the fourth, but a double play ended the threat.

In the fifth, the Red Devils finally broke through. Bria Wessel (Peoria, Ill./Limestone) singled, and Delaney Douglas (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) doubled to put runners in scoring position. Lexi Liptak (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) laid down a sacrifice bunt to bring in one, and Bre Dixon (Newark, Ill./Newark Community) scored on an error to make it 11-2 before the game concluded.

GAME NOTES

• Tylar Whitaker went 1-for-1 in a pinch-hit appearance.
• Delaney Douglas contributed a double and scored a run.
• Lexi Liptak added an RBI with a sacrifice bunt and recorded six assists at shortstop.
• Mackenzie Daniels drew a walk, stole a base, and reached on an error.

UP NEXT

Eureka hosts Illinois College in a nonconference doubleheader on Tuesday, April 15 at 3:00 p.m.