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For Immediate ReleaseSoftball -- March 15, 2012
Red Devils Close Spring Trip With Split
Box Score vs. Philadelphia Biblical
NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Eureka College softball team brought its eight-game trip to the National Collegiate Sports Invitational to a close on Thursday, earning a 15-6 victory over Philadelphia Biblical in the morning and dropping a 12-2 decision in five innings to Arcadia (Pa.) in the afternoon in North Mytle Beach, S.C. Eureka finished the week with a 2-6 record.
The Red Devils never trailed in the morning contest against PBU, claiming a 1-0 lead in the first inning behind an RBI groundout from senior center fielder Sara Hamilton (Washington, Ill./Washington H.S./Illinois Central). EC tacked on three more runs in the second, highlighted by an RBI triple from junior shortstop Jaylynn Stewart (Taylorville, Ill./Taylorville H.S.), to lead 4-0.
A sacrifice fly from sophomore first baseman Amanda Murphy (Manteno, Ill./Manteno H.S.) and a run-scoring single off the bat of sophomore catcher Emily Campbell (Pontiac, Ill./Pontiac H.S.) in the third inning allowed the EC lead to swell to 6-0. The Crimson Eagles answered by cutting their deficit in half in the bottom half of the inning on run-scoring hits from Brigid Shehan and Emily Laudenslager.
Eureka got some insurance in the fifth inning when junior second baseman Kelli Dunne (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods H.S./Illinois Central) pulled a 1-1 pitch down the left field line and out of the ballpark for a two-run shot and an 8-3 lead. Hamilton, Murphy and Campbell drove in runs in a four-run sixth inning before Hamilton doubled home two more EC runs to highlight a three-run seventh.
The Red Devils collected a season-high 17 hits in the victory. Hamilton went 4-for-5 with four RBI and four runs scored, while Campbell put together a 4-for-4 effort with two RBI. Stewart, Hamilton and Campbell each tripled to bolster the offense. Freshman starting pitcher Karson Gragert (Georgetown, Ill./Georgetown-Ridge Farm H.S.) went the distance in the circle to earn her first collegiate victory. She struck out six.
In game two against Arcadia, Eureka jumped in front 2-0 in the second inning. Freshman left fielder Taylor Newby (Lindenhurst, Ill./Lakes H.S.) got the Red Devils on the board with an RBI single up the middle, her first career RBI. Hamilton later drew a bases-loaded walk for the 2-0 advantage.
The Knights bounced back with five runs of their own in the third. A two-run triple from Marissa Perez gave AU a 3-2 advantage, and the Knights would never look back. Arcadia scored all 12 of its runs in the final three innings of the game and held the Red Devils off the board for the remainder of the contest to earn the five-inning win.
Murphy and sophomore Ashley Segerstrom (LeRoy, Ill./LeRoy H.S.) joined Newby in the hit column against AU. Arcadia starting pitcher Kelsey Roberts worked around nine walks to earn the win.
The Red Devils will continue competition on the road on Wednesday in a 3 p.m. non-conference doubleheader at North Park in Chicago, Ill.
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For More Information Contact:
Bryan Moore
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