Eureka Drops SLIAC Doubleheader to Panthers

EUREKA, Ill. – The Eureka softball team returned home for a SLIAC doubleheader against Greenville on Wednesday. The Panthers, who are receiving votes in the latest NFCA Top 25 Poll, swept the Red Devils with 8-0 and 11-3 victories at Sweitzer Field.

GAME 1 – Greenville 8, Eureka 0 (6 Innings)

Greenville set the tone early in Game 1 with a four-run first inning, powered by an RBI walk from Greenley and a sacrifice fly by Martlage. Eureka went quietly in their half of the frame.

The Panthers tacked on two more in the second with a two-RBI single by Colvis. Eureka struggled to respond offensively and remained hitless through two innings.

Bre Dixon (Newark, Ill./Newark Community) broke up the no-hit bid with a third-inning single and promptly stole second. However, the Red Devils couldn't bring her around to score. Greenville was held scoreless in the third and fourth, but Eureka left another runner stranded after Callie Warlow (Le Roy, Ill./Le Roy) drew a walk.

An RBI double by Martlage in the fifth made it 7-0, and a sixth-inning RBI from Dunlap brought the final tally to 8-0. Dixon walked and stole another base in the sixth, but the Red Devils couldn't convert as Greenville secured the win.

GAME NOTES

• Bre Dixon went 1-for-1 with a walk and two stolen bases.
• Alyssa Bundren (Spring Bay, Ill./Metamora) pitched a complete game, allowing eight runs on ten hits while striking out four.
• Callie Warlow reached base once via a walk.

GAME 2 – Greenville 11, Eureka 3 (5 Innings)

Game 2 followed a similar script as Greenville jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning. Colvis got things started with an RBI double, followed by run-producing hits from Budde, Dunlap, and Rodriguez.

Eureka held the Panthers scoreless in the second, but the bats remained quiet. Greenville extended their lead to 6-0 in the third with another RBI from Dunlap.

A four-run fifth inning, featuring a two-RBI triple by Grunloh, an RBI hit from Case, and a bases-loaded walk drawn by Budde, pushed the Panthers' lead to 11-0.

The Red Devils mounted a rally in the bottom of the fifth. Olivia Lewis (Green Valley, Ill./Midwest Central) scored on a passed ball, then Danika Apostolovich (Riverside, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield) and Lexi Liptak (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) followed with runs of their own. Dixon drove in a run with a single, and Liptak stole home to cap the scoring, but the deficit was too great to overcome as the Red Devils fell 11-3.

GAME NOTES

• Tylar Whitaker (Country Club Hills, Ill./Rich Township) recorded a double.
• Danika Apostolovich went 1-for-2 with a run scored.
• Lexi Liptak tallied a hit, a run, and a stolen base.
• Bre Dixon delivered an RBI, a hit, and a stolen base.

UP NEXT

Eureka travels to Fontbonne on Saturday for a SLIAC doubleheader. First pitch is set for 12:00 p.m. in St. Louis.