Southwestern Sweeps Red Devils, 7-4, 6-1

GEORGETOWN, Texas – The Eureka softball team dropped a pair of non-conference contests at Southwestern on Tuesday.

The Red Devils came up short 7-4 in a close opener, and then fell 6-1 in Game 2.

Game 1: Southwestern 7, Eureka 4

Eureka scored a run in each of the first four innings and were tied with the Pirates at 4-4 midway through the game, but the home team responded with two runs off four hits in the bottom of the fourth and added one more off three hits in the fifth.

It ended up being enough in a game that featured 13 hits for each team.

Leadoff hitter Gada Bryant (Westville, Ill./Westville/Lincoln) went 4-for-4 with a double, an RBI and four stolen bases to lead the Red Devils at the plate. Macey Whisker (Washington, Ill./Washington/Illinois Central College) went 3-for-3 and Farrah Michaels (Mansfield, Ill./Blue Ridge) went 2-for-3.

KayLee Hohlbauch (Arcola, Ill./Arcola/Lincoln) put the Red Devils on the board with an RBI single to left-center that scored Bryant in the first inning.

The Pirates, however, came out swinging and rallied for four runs on four hits in the bottom half. Bryant's RBI double in the second inning cut the lead in half. Elly Maier (Clinton, Ill./Clinton) scored an unearned run in the next inning. Bryant won a rundown and stole home to tie the game at 4-4 in the fourth before Southwestern turned the tables.

Despite the loss, Eureka didn't commit any errors in the field.

Bria Wessel (Peoria, Ill./Limestone) and Delaney Douglas (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) both contributed hits along the way. Maier and Michaels each had a stolen base.

Game 2: Southwestern 6, Eureka 1

In the second game of the day, the Pirates gradually built a nice lead while the Red Devils couldn't take advantage of its scoring opportunities.

Southwestern tallied a single run in the first, second, fourth and sixth innings, and had two in the fifth.

The Red Devils twice got runners in scoring position, loading the bases in the third and getting on second and third in the fifth.

But the first time, the team came up empty and the second time, it only came up with one run. Bryant notched an RBI single to score Whisker in the fifth to give EC its lone run.

Six Red Devils came up with a hit at the plate, with Whisker, Kloe Norris (Manito, Ill./Midwest Central), Mady Bultemeier (Pekin, Ill./Pekin), Christine Mepham (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) and Michaels all recording a base hit.

For the second straight game, Eureka didn't commit a single error in the field. Bryant, the Red Devils' shortstop, came up with a pair of highlight-reels plays that prevented the Pirates from rallying early. First, she snagged a liner with the bases loaded to end the second inning. Then, she made a diving stop and throw from her knees an inning later.

Bryant, Tressa Grisham (Morton, Ill./East Peoria) and Mepham each had a stolen base.

Up Next

Eureka (0-4) will vie for its first win of the season in a 3 p.m. doubleheader at Austin (3-5) on Wednesday.