Galesburg, IL – Knox won both games of a doubleheader against Illinois College on Saturday; something the softball team hasn’t done in over a decade.

The Prairie Fire won the first game 14-9 in nine innings before completing the sweep with a 7-3 victory in the twinbill finale at the Knox Softball Field.  The win in the opening contest marked the first time Knox has defeated IC since April of 2003 while the sweep against the Lady Blues hadn’t been accomplished since April of 2002.

The Prairie Fire broke loose in the first game, which went into extra innings tied 7-7, by scoring seven runs in the top of the ninth for a 14-7 lead.  Illinois College scored two runs on a home run by Kinzie Verhines with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to stay alive.  A pop up to second base that senior Jill Krippel (Plainfield, IL, Plainfield Central) caught secured the win for Knox.

The Prairie Fire trailed 7-6 after Jaci Forsythe belted a solo homer in the sixth inning to give IC the lead.  Knox tied the game in the seventh when the Lady Blues couldn’t come up with a hard hit ground ball by junior Amber Eisha (South Wilmington, IL, Gardner-South Wilmington) that allowed Krippel, who doubled with two outs earlier in the inning, to score the tying run.

Knox banged out five hits and benefitted from two errors in the ninth inning.  Eisha and junior Alyssa Bleidorn (Batavia, IL, Batavia) drove in the first two runs with hits.  Eisha crossed home with the third run on an error, junior Avecena Hollingsworth (Tigard, OR, Tigard) singled to drive home the fourth run, and sophomore Claire Neri (Melrose Park, IL, West Leyden) doubled in three runs following two straight walks that loaded the bases.

Eisha and Hollingsworth had three hits apiece for the Prairie Fire.  First-year Annie Ford (Oak Park, IL, Oak Park-River Forest) added two hits and two RBIs while Krippel contributed two hits along with four runs.

Eisha (1-5) pitched five innings of relief and picked up the win.  She surrendered three runs and four hits and struck out one.

A big inning in the second game also propelled Knox to victory.

Tied 1-1, the Prairie Fire tallied three runs in the fourth for a 4-1 lead and never looked back.

Sophomore Rhiannon Neuville (Eugene, OR, South Eugene) drove in a pair of runners with a two out single.  She advanced to second base on a passed ball and came around to score on a single by Hollingsworth.

IC (6-7, 0-2 MWC South) sliced the Knox lead to 4-3 with two runs in the home half of the fourth frame.  Brittany Fanella hit a solo homer while the second run scored on a two out single.

Knox (3-9, 2-0 MWC South) made it 5-3 on an RBI single by sophomore Kayla Behrens (Moline, IL, Moline) in the fifth inning. 

The Prairie Fire added a run in the sixth when Hollingsworth singled and later scored on an error.  Behrens provided the seventh run of the game for Knox with her first home run of the season in the seventh inning.

Behrens led the way by going 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs and two runs scored.  Neuville had two hits and drove in a pair of runs while Hollingsworth, Eisha, and Ford added two hits apiece.

Junior Anna Lemen (Cincinnati, OH, Cincinnati Country Day) won her first game of the season in the circle for the Prairie Fire.  Lemen (1-2) allowed three runs and eight hits in four innings pitched.

Eisha followed with three scoreless innings.  She gave up two hits and struck out one.

Knox continues Midwest Conference South Division play on April 5 with a doubleheader at Monmouth College.  The first game starts at 3:00.

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