Red Devils Fall Twice to Blackburn in Home Finale

EUREKA, Ill. – Eureka softball dropped a doubleheader to Blackburn in its home finale on Wednesday, falling 11-1 in five innings in Game 1 and 8-5 in Game 2.

GAME 1: Blackburn 11, Eureka 1 (5 innings)

Blackburn set the tone early in the opener, plating nine runs across the first three innings to build a commanding 9-0 lead. The Beavers scored three runs in the first, four in the second, and two more in the third to seize control.

Eureka broke through in the bottom of the fourth when Ashlyn Voyles (Farmer City, Ill./Blue Ridge) blasted a solo home run down the left field line, cutting the deficit to 9-1. Blackburn responded with two additional runs in the fifth to extend its lead to 11-1, and the Red Devils were unable to answer in the bottom half as the game ended via the run rule.

Voyles and Lexi Liptak (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) accounted for Eureka's only hits in Game 1, with Voyles' home run providing the lone run. Kaitlyn Robinson (Macomb, Ill./Macomb) took the loss in the circle, tossing all five innings while allowing 11 runs (10 earned) on 11 hits with two strikeouts.

GAME 2: Blackburn 8, Eureka 5

In Game 2, Blackburn once again jumped out quickly, scoring four runs in the first inning and adding three more in the second to take a 7-0 lead.

Eureka began its comeback in the third inning. Kayleigh Zerrusen (Teutopolis, Ill./Teutopolis) doubled to deep center field, and Liptak followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Danika Apostolovich (Riverside, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield) delivered an RBI single to get the Red Devils on the board and cut the deficit to 7-1.

The Red Devils continued to chip away in the fifth. Mallory Kohnen (New Athens, Ill./New Athens) led off with a single before Liptak added another hit to again put runners on the corners. Apostolovich came through with a two-run double to make it 7-3, and Olivia Hurst (Ava, Ill./Freeburg Community) followed with an RBI groundout to trim the deficit to 7-4.

Eureka pulled within two in the sixth when Brooklyn Bowman (Washington, Ill./Washington) tripled and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Kohnen, making it 7-5.

Blackburn added an insurance run in the seventh to extend its lead to 8-5, and Eureka was retired in order in the bottom half to seal the sweep.

Apostolovich led the way offensively in Game 2, finishing 2-for-4 with a double, three RBIs, and a run scored. Voyles and Liptak each recorded two hits, while Hurst and Kohnen added RBIs. Zerrusen contributed a double and Bowman added a triple.

Robinson started Game 2 but exited after one-third of an inning, allowing four runs (three earned) on three hits. Kohnen provided relief, pitching 6.2 innings and surrendering four runs on 10 hits.

UP NEXT

Eureka will close out the regular season on Saturday with a doubleheader at Westminster. First pitch is scheduled for noon, with the Red Devils needing a sweep to secure a spot in the SLIAC Tournament.