Aly Armstrong
Kevin Krows/Millikin University
0
North Central NCC 0-1, 0-1 CCIW
8
Winner Millikin MILLIKIN 4-3, 2-1 CCIW
North Central NCC
0-1, 0-1 CCIW
0
Final
8
Millikin MILLIKIN
4-3, 2-1 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
North Central NCC 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4
Millikin MILLIKIN 2 3 0 3 X 8 10 0

W: Armstrong, Aly (3-1) L: Gadomski, Samantha (0-1)

2
North Central NCC 0-2, 0-2 CCIW
3
Winner Millikin MILLIKIN 5-3, 3-1 CCIW
North Central NCC
0-2, 0-2 CCIW
2
Final
3
Millikin MILLIKIN
5-3, 3-1 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 R H E
North Central NCC 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 10 2
Millikin MILLIKIN 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 8 0

W: Sargent, Addison (2-1) L: Adams, Breanna (0-1)

Game Recap: Softball | | Morgan Vogels

Big Blue Softball Wins Conference Twin Bill Against North Central

The Big Blue softball team matched up against their second College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin opponent of the season in a doubleheader on Saturday, March 20. Millikin handed North Central two losses in their first two games of the 2021 season. 

In game one, the Big Blue secured an 8-0 victory with veteran pitcher Aly Armstrong on the mound. Armstrong held North Central to just one hit in five innings of play while striking out eight of the 16 batters she faced.

Millikin started game one with leadoff batter Rylee Blake scoring on a sacrifice bunt by Kaylee Goluch. Leah Foreman then doubled to left center, and the Big Blue found themselves in the scoring column again after a Gretchen Gould double in the right center gap. 

The Millikin offense went back to work in the bottom of the second inning, starting off with a double down the right field line by Maddie Holland. Holland later scored on a single by Kailey Pulec. Another double down the right field line, this time off the bat of Blake, scored Pulec. Blake crossed home for the second time on the afternoon in the second after Foreman reached on an error by the Cardinals second baseman, Allison Lambert. 

After a scoreless bottom of the third inning, the Big Blue scored the final three runs of the game in the fourth. Skielyr Trenkle singled to left field and advanced to third on a single by Blake, then scored on a groundout by Goluch. Blake scored her third and final run of game one when Leah Foreman reached base on a fielder's choice. A double by Lexus Tennison down the left field line scored the eighth run for MU with Foreman advancing home. 

Samantha Gadomski took the loss for the Cardinals, and their lone hit came from Breanna Adams, who relieved Gadomski in the circle pitching 2.2 innings for North Central. 

In game two, Armstrong started on the mound for the Big Blue once again, and Adams returned to the circle for the Cardinals.

The Big Blue struck first once again, starting with a double down the right field line by Goluch. After a hit batter and a walk issued to Gould, the bases were loaded with sophomore third baseman Camryn Skundberg at the plate. She reached on a fielder's choice, bringing Goluch across the plate in the bottom of the first. 

Sophomore pitcher Addison Sargent took over for Armstrong in the top of the third inning. A single off the bat of Jaime Smith started the inning off for North Central, and she later scored on a double down the left field line by Emily Miller, tying the game at 1-1. 

The Big Blue offense struck back quickly, though, as Blake reached on a bunt single and stole second and third base. Blake scored on a Skundberg single to left field. 

After a scoreless fourth inning, North Central put up a run to knot game two at 2-2 in the fifth. Smith singled to left and stole second. She later advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Alexa Sherlund and scored on a groundout to Tennison at shortstop. 

Both teams were held scoreless through the sixth and seventh, and it headed to extras. Both teams went three up, three down in the eighth, and a walk drawn by Katie Del Re was the only baserunner in the ninth. A double by Talia Torosian in the top of the tenth followed by a sacrifice bunt by Gianna Corban put a runner in scoring position with two outs for the Cardinals, but Adams struck out swinging to end the inning. 

In the top of the twelfth, North Central threatened to take the lead once again with back to back singles by Sherlund and Miller to start the inning. A sacrifice bunt by Torosian put runners on second and third for the Cardinals with one out. After laying down a successful sacrifice bunt in the tenth, Corban was at the plate. She laid a bunt down the third base line, fielded by Skundberg who flipped it to Foreman to catch Sherlund at home on the squeeze. 

The Cardinals picked up two quick outs to begin the bottom of the twelfth, and the Big Blue sent freshman Jaycie Edwards to the plate for a pinch hit at-bat. Edwards singled through the left side, and Blake re-entered the game to run for Edwards. Blake stole second, putting a runner in scoring position for Millikin with Goluch at the plate. Goluch snuck a grounder past the first baseman, Corban, and Amanda Martinez made a diving stop but was unable to hit Corban's glove on the toss to first. Goluch reached on the error, and Blake scored the winning run to give Millikin a 3-2 victory over the Cardinals in game two. 

Sargent picked up the win, improving to 2-1 and striking out six in 10 innings of work. 

Millikin improved to 5-3 on the season, 3-1 in CCIW play. The Big Blue will face a non-conference opponent in their second doubleheader of the weekend, welcoming the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks to the Workman Family Softball Field on Sunday, March 21. 
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