Eureka Falls in Season-Opening Doubleheader Against Lawrence

EUREKA, Ill. – The Eureka softball team dropped both games in their season-opening doubleheader against Lawrence on Sunday. The Red Devils led early in Game 1 but ultimately fell 11-3, and their comeback effort in Game 2 came up short in a 9-4 loss.

GAME 1 – Eureka 3, Lawrence 11 (5 Innings)

The Red Devils dropped their season opener against Lawrence on Sunday after a 5^th inning rally by the Vikings.

The Red Devils got on the board early in the first inning when Ashlyn Voyles (Farmer City, Ill./Farmer City) singled to bring home Mackenzie Daniels (Monticello, Ill./Monticello), tying the game at 1-1 after Lawrence scored in the top half of the inning.

Eureka took the lead in the fourth inning. Danika Apostolovich (Riverside, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield) scored on a throw to second as Natalia Espinosa (Austin, Texas/Lake Travis) was stealing, and Chloe Smith (Sullivan, Ill./Sullivan) followed with an RBI single, giving the Red Devils a 3-1 advantage.

However, Lawrence responded with a massive fifth inning, scoring ten runs. Wallin-Swanson started the rally with an RBI single, and Guerriero stole home to tie the game at 3-3. A series of wild pitches and walks gave Lawrence a 6-3 lead before Haller capped off the inning with a grand slam, putting the Vikings ahead 11-3.

Eureka was unable to recover as Lawrence's pitching held the Red Devils scoreless in the bottom half of the inning.

GAME NOTES

• The game marked Bria Wessel's (Peoria, Ill./Limestone) milestone 125^th appearance and Delaney Douglas' (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) 100^th appearance for the Red Devils.
• Ashlyn Voyles went 2-for-2 with an RBI single in the first inning.
• Chloe Smith recorded an RBI, going 1-for-2 at the plate.
• Jeri Bradford (Homewood, Ill./Chicago Christian) started on the mound, pitching five innings, allowing six earned runs on seven hits while striking out one.
• The Red Devils recorded five hits in total but were unable to overcome Lawrence's big fifth inning.

GAME 2 – Eureka 4, Lawrence 9

Eureka came up short against Lawrence in Game 2 of the doubleheader, falling 9-4 after another late-game surge by the Vikings.

The Red Devils got on the board in the third inning when Alayla Thornton (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) sent a solo homerun over the left field wall to cut Lawrence's lead to 5-1. Tylar Whitaker (Country Club Hills, Ill./Rich Township) drove in Bria Wessel in the fourth, cutting further into Lawrence's early lead. Alayla Thornton then delivered another big hit for Eureka in the fourth inning, driving in two runs with a single to bring the score to 5-4.

Despite the rally, Lawrence responded with four runs in the top of the seventh, securing a 9-4 win.

GAME NOTES

• Ashlyn Voyles went 2-for-3 at the plate, recording her second multi-hit game of the day.
• Alayla Thornton led the team with three RBIs, including a homerun in the third inning.
• Tylar Whitaker added an RBI, scoring Bria Wessel in the fourth.
• Alyssa Bundren (Spring Bay, Ill./Metamora) pitched 6.1 innings, allowing nine runs on nine hits with nine walks.
• Jeri Bradford recorded the final two outs, allowing no hits or runs.

UP NEXT

The Red Devils will look to bounce back when they host Knox for a doubleheader on Tuesday, Mar. 11, starting at 2:00 p.m.