Sangamon Sun

The Illinois College softball team faced two close defeats during their annual trip to Florida. On Monday, the Lady Blues played against Simmons and Aurora, resulting in narrow losses.

In the first game, Simmons secured an 8-7 victory over Illinois College. The Sharks took an early lead with six runs in the first inning. Illinois College responded with two runs in their half of the inning through a sacrifice fly by Halie Williams and a single from Elysia Hand. Despite additional efforts by Shelby Seiler and Raegan Rezba later in the game, Simmons maintained their lead. The Lady Blues managed three runs in the seventh inning, but it was not enough to overturn the deficit.

Elysia Hand contributed significantly with three hits out of four at-bats, while Halie Williams drove in three runs. Brooke Loveall and Cambria Currie each scored twice for Illinois College. Avery Fritz pitched six innings in relief, allowing two runs.

In the second matchup against Aurora, Illinois College fell short again with a 3-2 loss. Aurora's initial advantage came from a two-run home run in the first inning. The Lady Blues narrowed the gap when Hand doubled to bring home Seiler in the fourth inning, but Aurora added another run shortly after.

Illinois College attempted a comeback when Williams singled to score Hand, bringing them within one run of Aurora's lead. However, they could not equalize before the end of the game.

Hand and Taylor Henry each had two hits for Illinois College during this match. Henry also pitched six innings, conceding six hits and three runs while striking out two batters.

The Lady Blues will continue their Florida trip on Tuesday with games scheduled against Gustavus Adolphus College and Lebanon Valley College.