Sangamon Sun

The Illinois College softball team concluded its annual Florida trip with a split outcome on Friday. The Lady Blues, now holding a 5-5 overall record, faced Mount St. Joseph's and Alvernia in Winter Haven, Florida.

In the first game of the day, Mount St. Joseph's defeated Illinois College with a score of 10-2. The opposition took an early lead by scoring four runs over the initial innings and expanded their advantage with six more runs in the seventh inning. Illinois College managed to score twice in the sixth inning through Taylor Henry's two-run single but couldn't close the gap further.

Taylor Henry, Elysia Hand, and Cambria Currie each contributed two hits for Illinois College. Currie pitched for three innings, allowing three runs on eight hits and achieving one strikeout. Taylor Henry pitched 3 1/3 innings, giving up four runs on six hits, while Haley Flores allowed three runs on two hits in her time on the mound.

In contrast, the second game against Alvernia was tightly contested until Illinois College secured a late victory with a 3-2 scoreline. After a pitching duel in the early stages, Kayla Serpa’s bunt single brought Raegan Rezba home in the fifth inning for an initial lead. Alvernia equalized in their half of the sixth inning.

Illinois College clinched victory by scoring two decisive runs in the top of the seventh inning through a sacrifice fly by Taylor Henry and an RBI double by Kendall Cole. Despite Alvernia managing to score once more in their final at-bat, Illinois College maintained their lead to secure the win.

Jordan Closs pitched throughout this match for Illinois College, conceding two runs on six hits while striking out five batters.

Looking ahead, Illinois College is set to host Westminster next Saturday at Jessica Kamp Field for their home debut doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m.