We’re on to Round Two of the Little Illini Conference softball schedule. And, yes, it’s early, but when you’ve got a league as outstanding as the LIC, you might figure into the championship picture with one conference loss, but certainly not two. So, these duals are as big as they come. The lineup:
Lawrenceville (0-1) at Olney (0-1)
Newton (1-0) at Mt. Carmel (0-1)
Paris (1-0) at Marshall (1-0)
Robinson (0-1) at Casey-Westfield (1-0)
Here’s how we got here. The Monday recap:
Paris 9, Mt. Carmel 8
Paris walked off Mt. Carmel on Monday when Sadie Sallee hit a two-out single to left that scored Jacie Young in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Tigers a 9-8 upset victory over 11th-ranked (Class 2A) Mt. Carmel on Opening Day of the LIC softball season. The Lady Aces loss snapped a season-opening 10-game winning streak. It seemed only fitting that Young scored the winning run. The junior shortstop had 6 RBIs on the day. Her seventh-inning grand slam tied the game at 8-8 and forced extra innings. Young also drilled a 2-run shot to center in the third inning as Paris got on the board after Mt. Carmel had jumped to an early 4-0 lead in the second. Leah Lewis countered with a big game at the plate for Mt. Carmel, going 4-of-5 with a solo homer and four RBIs. Evie Sellers added a 4-of-4 day for the defending co-champions.
Casey-Westfield 13, Lawrenceville 0
The No. 1-ranked (Class 1A) Lady Warriors opened LIC play with a combined no-hitter in a 13-0, five-inning win over Lawrenceville. Starting pitcher Ava Goble worked the first three innings, striking out eight, before giving way to Gyllyane Gilbert, who worked the final two, fanning two more. Only one batter reached base for Lawrenceville, on a dropped third strike in the fourth. Rylee Erickson and Gilbert each drove in four runs for Casey-Westfield, Erickson on a grand slam in the fifth, while Gilbert smacked a 3-run blast in the fourth plus a bases-loaded walk in the third. Erickson and Arhianna Bonds both had two hits on the day for the Lady Warriors.
Marshall 6, Robinson 5
Robinson staged a three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh to tie 16th-ranked (Class 2A) Marshall and force extra innings on Monday. But, the Lady Lions recovered with one run in the eighth to edge Robinson, 6-5. Avery Cornwell score what became the winning run for Marshall on an error on a fielder’s choice ground ball hit by Caitlyn Hilliard. Then, starting pitcher Kyla Gustafson, who struck out 17 batters, set Robinson down in order in the bottom of the eighth to secure the win. Marshall strung together six one-run innings in the conference opener, with Lynn Welborn leading the offense with three hits. Robinson was led at the plate by Leighton Boyd, who finished 3-of-4 with two RBIs.
Newton 10, Olney 9
Newton played long-ball early, then hung on for a 10-9 LIC win over visiting Olney on Monday. Jacee Dhom hit a grand slam homer in the second inning and Allie Hermann added a two-run bomb in the third as Newton jumped to an 8-5 lead. Olney, which scored in each inning, crept to within 10-9 in the seventh. It didn’t end until Lady Eagles reliever Emma Inyart induced a game-ending fly ball with Olney runners at second and third. The Lady Tigers outhit Newton, 15-8, with Miranda Dowty and Kaitlin Kocher collecting three hits each. Newton had two-hit games from Hermann and Jorjia Reich.
