Sangamon Sun

The Illinois College softball team faced challenging opponents on Thursday, resulting in two losses. The Lady Blues fell to Marian with a score of 2-1 and later to Aurora, 9-1, during their games in Kissimmee, Florida.

In the first game against Marian, both teams remained scoreless for the initial four innings. Marian secured their victory with a two-run single in the fifth inning. Illinois College attempted a comeback in the seventh inning when Calynn Gicante's grounder allowed Kayla Serpa to score. However, this was not enough to overcome Marian's lead.

Illinois College managed only two hits during this game—singles by Allison Mortland and Cheyenne Anderson. Taylor Henry pitched for the Lady Blues, allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out nine batters.

The second match against Aurora saw Illinois College trailing early as Aurora established a 7-0 lead through strategic scoring across multiple innings. The Lady Blues' lone run came from Gicante's first home run of the season in the fourth inning.

Gicante contributed significantly with two hits and one RBI. Other hits were recorded by Anderson, Henry, and Claudia Adam. Julia Drake took the loss after giving up nine runs (four earned) on 12 hits over six innings while striking out eight.

Illinois College is set to conclude their Florida games tomorrow against Regis at 10:00 a.m., followed by North Central at 12:15 p.m.