Sangamon Sun

After a challenging start, the Illinois College softball team managed to secure a win in the Midwest Conference Tournament held at Mohr Field on Friday. The Lady Blues initially faced a setback, losing 13-0 to Grinnell, but they rebounded with an 8-0 victory over Cornell.

The first game saw Grinnell take an early lead with three runs in the first inning and two more in the second. They extended their advantage with six runs in the third and two additional runs in the fourth. Illinois College struggled offensively, recording only three hits against Grinnell pitchers Christin Hartman and Kathryn Vermeulen. Julia Drake took the loss for Illinois College, allowing eight runs on nine hits over two innings, while Taylor Henry gave up five runs on five hits in relief.

In their second game of the day, Illinois College turned things around with a shutout win against Cornell. Julia Drake pitched a complete game, three-hit shutout and became Illinois College's all-time strikeout leader with 429 career strikeouts. The Lady Blues supported Drake by scoring three runs in the first inning, initiated by Taylor Henry's bases-loaded walk and followed by Brooke Loveall's two-run single.

Illinois College added to their lead with solo runs in the fourth and fifth innings, as well as additional scores in the sixth and seventh innings. Kayla Serpa contributed with an RBI single, Claudia Adam drove home another run, and Elysia Hand tripled to bring in Lindsey Heinz before scoring herself on a wild pitch.

Looking ahead, Illinois College is set to face Lake Forest at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.