Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

2014 Midwest Conference Softball Classic
April 11-13 @ Eastside Centre in East Peoria, IL

April 11

Beloit 6, Knox 5

The Prairie Fire were unable to hold a four run lead and fell in their first game of the MWC Classic.

Beloit opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first inning.  Knox responded with two runs in the bottom of the second.  Junior Brittney Price (Wyoming, IL, Stark County) drove in the tying run with a double and then gave the Prairie Fire a 2-1 lead when she scored on an error.

Knox extended to a 5-1 advantage in the third inning on a two-run blast by senior Amber Eisha (South Wilmington, IL, Gardner-South Wilmington) – her first of the season -- and a single by Price that scored junior Kayla Behrens (Moline, IL, Moline).

Beloit (4-17, 1-3 MWC) tied the game, 5-5, with a four run fourth inning before taking the lead for good with the deciding run in the top of the fifth.

The Buccaneers edged the Prairie Fire in total hits, 10-8.

Price finished with a pair of hits, two RBIs, and one run scored for Knox.  Behrens also contributed two hits and two runs scored.

Eisha (1-9) took the loss in the circle.  She pitched a complete game and allowed six runs while striking out three and walking one.
 

Lawrence 24, Knox 12

The Prairie Fire held a seven run lead early, but Lawrence stormed back to win one of the highest scoring softball games in Midwest Conference history.

The teams combined for 36 runs, the fifth-most all-time between MWC teams, and 40 hits.

Knox scored seven runs in the first inning and appeared well on the way to earning a split on the first day of the Midwest Conference Classic.

Junior Brittney Price (Wyoming, IL, Stark County) singled with the bases loaded to give the Prairie Fire a 2-0 lead.  First-year Chelsey Howard (Galesburg, IL, Galesburg) followed with a single that drove in junior Kayla Behrens (Moline, IL, Moline), and Price came around to score the fourth run for Knox on an error.  Sophomore Karli Shields (Naperville, IL, Neuqua Valley), junior Rhiannon Neuville (Eugene, OR, South Eugene), and senior Alyssa Bleidorn (Batavia, IL, Batavia) continued the hit parade with RBI singles to build a seven run cushion.

The Vikings got on the board with two runs in the top of the second to cut the Knox lead to 7-2.  Shields added two more RBIs with a single in the home half of the second to push the advantage back to seven, 9-2.

Lawrence (11-5, 2-0) exploded for seven runs in the top of the third to tie the game, 9-9.  The Vikings took their first lead of the game at 10-9 in the fourth inning before adding two more runs to go up 12-9.

Senior Amber Eisha (South Wilmington, IL, Gardner-South Wilmington) belted a solo home run for Knox in the bottom of the fourth, her second of the season, to trim the deficit to two.

After a scoreless fifth inning, Lawrence put together a five run sixth inning and a seven run seventh to put the game out of reach.

The Prairie Fire (2-20, 0-4) scored for the last time on a two-run homer Howard, her first of the season, in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Shields (1-11) took the loss for Knox.  She worked five innings, allowing 14 earned runs and 19 hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

Shields had a much better time at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Howard had a big offensive game with three hits and three runs batted in, Eisha added three hits and three runs scored, while Behrens and Neuville contributed two hits apiece for the Prairie Fire.

Knox will try to continue swinging the bats well and hold down St. Norbert College and Ripon College on Saturday, the second day of the MWC Classic.  The game against SNC starts at 11:00 a.m. followed by the contest against Ripon at 1:00 p.m.