Eureka Sweeps Blackburn, Clinches SLIAC Tournament Berth
EUREKA – The Eureka softball team rallied their way to an emphatic sweep over Blackburn and clinched a spot in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament on Tuesday at Sweitzer Field.
The Red Devils came from behind and racked up 10 runs with two outs in the fifth inning to seal a 12-4 win by run rule in the opener. Then, in Game 2, they gradually put away the Beavers, 11-3, in five innings in the second game.
It was Eureka softball's second sweep by run-rule this season, its first home sweep of the season and its first home sweep at Sweitzer Field under first-year head coach Juell Hodges.
Junior utility player Christine Mepham (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) turned in a pair of memorable performances on her birthday. First, she notched a go-ahead three-run triple in the fifth inning during the 10-run explosion in the fifth inning of Game 1.
Then, she turned around and hammered a three-run blast to center-right field for the first home run of her career to extend EC's lead to five in Game 2.
Senior shortstop Raelyn Payne (Lexington, Ill./Lexington) swiped five bases, giving her 39 on the season and 49 in her career. She is now tied with Sarah Taylor (1995-98) for second all-time in program history in steals.
Game 1: Eureka 12, Blackburn 4 (5 inn.)
The Red Devils got off to a slow start in the first game of the day.
Eureka made back-to-back defensive miscues at the beginning of the game, fell in a four-run hole and didn't get the bats going until the fifth inning.
But once things started turning around, the home team capitalized on, and fed off, every opportunity that came its way.
Trailing 4-2 heading into the bottom of the fifth, Eureka put up 10 runs on 10 hits. The rally included a little bit of everything -- from small-ball and manufactured runs to huge hits and celebrations.
Payne – the top hitter in the SLIAC – started it off with a bunt single and stole second and third base before coming home on an RBI groundout by Bria Wessel (Peoria, Ill./Limestone).
After that, Bri Tanksley (Spring Bay, Ill./Metamora), Mackenzie Daniels (Monticello, Ill./Monticello) and Delaney Douglas (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) singled back-to-back-to-back to bring Mepham up to the plate. The birthday girl proceeded to send a three-run triple to right field and give the Red Devils their first lead of the game.
Elly Maier (Clinton, Ill./Clinton) proceeded to bring her home with an RBI single. Payne drove in Tressa Grisham (Morton, Ill./East Peoria), who also singled before stealing second and scoring on an overthrow.
Kate LeMasters (Metamora, Ill./Metamora) knocked an RBI triple, then Wessel ended it early with a two-run bomb to center field – her fourth homer of the season.
Senior pitcher Sidney Wightman (Waterloo, Ill./Gibault Catholic) collected eighth win of the season, allowing zero earned runs on eight hits and striking out two batters in five solid innings.
Payne scored the team's first run on an RBI groundout by LeMasters in the first and Douglas plated the team's second on an RBI groundout in the fourth.
LeMasters, Daniels and Mepham all recorded triples in the win. Payne, Wessel and Daniels each contributed two hits at the plate. Payne had three stolen bases.
Game 2: Eureka 11, Blackburn 3 (5 inn.)
After the sizzling finish to Game 1, the Red Devils put together a steadier effort in Game 2.
Eureka notched two runs in the first inning, three runs in the second, five runs in the third and tallied the game-ending run in the fifth.
Wightman came in for Mepham in the circle in the second inning and pitched four scoreless innings. She improved to 9-13 on the season and ended the top of the fifth with her lone strikeout of the outing.
Payne had another stellar game, going 3-for-3 with two doubles, four runs scored, two RBI, one walk and two more stolen bases.
Mepham went 2-for-3 with three RBI – all coming from her three-run dinger in the third. LeMasters went 2-for-4 with an RBI triple and three RBI overall.
Like the first game, Blackburn had the upper hand early on. The Beavers plated the first run of the game on a sac fly RBI in the first inning, only to see Eureka score two runs off three hits in the bottom half.
LeMasters' RBI triple put the white jerseys on the board and Wessel drove her home with an RBI groundout.
When Blackburn regained the lead with a pair of runs off four hits in the top of the second, Payne delivered a two-run double to take it back and Wessel drove in another one to make it 5-3.
Daniels and Delaney both singled to lead off the third, setting the stage for Mepham's three-run blast and an RBI groundout by LeMasters extended the lead to seven runs.
It was LeMasters who ultimately put the game away, legging out an infield single that allowed Payne to cross the plate for the last time.
Up Next
On Wednesday, the Red Devils (14-19, 9-7 SLIAC) will be back at it with an important doubleheader at Greenville (15-19, 9-7) that will go a long way to deciding the order of the top three teams in the SLIAC's East division. The two teams split when they met at Sweitzer Field earlier this month.
