Red Devils Rally Early but Drop Two to MUW

EUREKA, Ill. – The Eureka softball team dropped both games of a Sunday doubleheader against MUW, falling 16-6 in the opener and 18-3 in game two.

GAME 1: MUW 16, Eureka 6

In game one, MUW jumped out to an early 3-0 lead with a three-run first inning before Eureka answered immediately in the bottom half. The Red Devils opened the inning with four straight hits as Lexi Liptak (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) led off with a single, followed by a double from Tylar Whitaker (Country Club Hills, Ill./Rich Township). Breannyn Dixon (Newark, Ill./Newark Community) then drove in a run with a single before Ashlyn Voyles (Farmer City, Ill./Blue Ridge) delivered a two-RBI single to tie the game at 3-3.

After a scoreless second inning, MUW regained the lead with a run in the third, but Eureka responded again in the bottom half. Danika Apostolovich (Riverside, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield) singled to start the inning and Olivia Hurst (Ava, Ill./Freeburg Community) followed with a base hit to put runners on the corners. Shaylun Christenberry (Brocton, Ill./Shiloh) brought home the tying run with an RBI groundout before Kayleigh Zerrusen (Teutopolis, Ill./Teutopolis) delivered a two-out RBI single to give Eureka a 5-4 advantage.

MUW evened the score at 5-5 in the fourth and took the lead for good with a run in the fifth. The visitors pulled away late, scoring four runs in the sixth and six more in the seventh to extend the lead to 16-5. Dixon added a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh, but Eureka fell 16-6.

Dixon led the Red Devils offensively, going 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs, two runs scored, and a stolen base. Voyles finished 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, while Liptak and Hurst each recorded two hits and a stolen base. Kaitlyn Robinson (Macomb, Ill./Macomb) started in the circle, pitching 4.2 innings and allowing five runs on nine hits while also going 2-for-3 with a double at the plate.

GAME 2: MUW 18, Eureka 3 (5 innings)

In game two, MUW again struck first with a run in the opening inning before Eureka answered in the bottom half. Liptak singled to begin the rally and Whitaker followed with a base hit. Voyles tied the game with an RBI single, and Hurst added an RBI groundout to give Eureka a 2-1 lead.

After a scoreless second inning, MUW broke the game open with an eight-run third inning to take control at 9-2. Whitaker provided a highlight for Eureka in the bottom of the third with a solo home run to cut the deficit to 9-3.

MUW continued to add on with six runs in the fourth and three in the fifth while holding Eureka scoreless the rest of the way to secure the 18-3 run-rule victory.

Whitaker paced Eureka in game two, going 2-for-3 with a home run and two runs scored. Voyles and Hurst each drove in a run for the Red Devils. Mallory Kohnen (New Athens, Ill./New Athens) started in the circle, pitching 3.1 innings and allowing 13 runs, nine earned, on nine hits.

UP NEXT

Eureka returns to action Wednesday with a road doubleheader at Knox beginning at 2 p.m.