Sangamon Sun

The Illinois College softball team has made a strong start in the Midwest Conference, securing a 4-0 record after winning both games of a doubleheader against Ripon. The matches took place on Wednesday at Tracy Field, where Illinois College triumphed with scores of 9-0 and 6-0.

Following these victories, Illinois College improved its overall record to 9-16 and remains undefeated in conference play. In contrast, Ripon's record fell to 2-14 overall and 0-2 in the league.

In the first game, Julia Drake delivered an impressive performance by pitching a one-hitter with nine strikeouts over five innings. This win marked her fifth victory of the season. Drake's efforts during this road trip have been notable; she pitched for 11 innings without allowing any runs and only one hit while accumulating 18 strikeouts.

Illinois College's offense was led by Allison Mortland, who contributed significantly with three hits, three runs, and three RBIs. Key moments included Mortland scoring on a Ripon error in the first inning and hitting a two-run triple in the second inning.

The second game remained scoreless until the sixth inning when Illinois College broke through with two runs. Calynn Gicante's double brought home Mortland, followed by Cheyenne Anderson's sacrifice fly that scored Gicante. The seventh inning saw further scoring from Illinois College with contributions from Mortland, Serpa, Gicante, and Taylor Henry.

Henry also excelled as pitcher for Illinois College in this game by allowing just one hit while striking out four batters to secure her first victory of the season.

Looking ahead, Illinois College will host Beloit for another Midwest Conference doubleheader on Saturday and Lake Forest on Sunday. Both events are scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.