Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Galesburg, Ill. – The Prairie Fire had quite a Senior Day on Saturday at the Knox Softball Field.

Knox won both games of a doubleheader against Midwest Conference South Division foe Illinois College while one of the two seniors on the team made history at the plate.
The Prairie Fire defeated IC 4-3 in the opener and completed the sweep with a 10-7 victory in the finale.

Seniors Alyssa Bleidorn (Batavia, IL, Batavia) and Amber Eisha (South Wilmington, IL, Gardner-South Wilmington) were recognized, along with their family members in attendance, before the first game.

Eisha had a big day in her final appearance at home in a Knox uniform.  She was 4-for-8 at the plate with two RBIs and two runs scored.  Eisha increased her total hits on the season to 44, which breaks the previous single-season record of 42 set by Shelley Smith in 1997.

In addition to her hitting, Eisha earned a win and a save in the circle to help the Prairie Fire finish fourth in the MWC South ahead of both IC and Grinnell.

The Lady Blues (12-20, 3-7 MWC South) jumped in front in the first game with two runs in the top of the third inning.

Knox (6-27, 4-6 MWC South) came back with three runs in the home half of the third for a one run advantage at 3-2.  Junior Brittney Price (Wyoming, IL, Stark County) tied the game with a bases-loaded single and sophomore Karli Shields (Naperville, IL, Neuqua Valley) drove in the go-ahead run with a double.

Shields blasted a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth, her first, to double the Knox lead, 4-2.

Illinois College homered with nobody on base in the top of the seventh to account for the last run of the contest.

Eisha (4-12) scattered nine hits and gave up one earned run over seven innings to earn the complete game victory.  She recorded two strikeouts and walked nobody in one of her best pitching performances of the season.

Knox outhit IC 11-9.

Eisha helped herself at the plate with two hits and one run scored.  Shields had two extra base hits in three at-bats and two runs batted in.  Junior Rhiannon Neuville (Eugene, OR, South Eugene) added two hits and a run scored for the Prairie Fire.

Knox appeared to be on the verge of a lopsided win in the second game of the day, but Illinois College fought back to put the outcome of the game in doubt.
IC got on the scoreboard with a two-out double that scored a run in the top of the first.

The Prairie Fire tied the game in the bottom of the inning on a double by junior Kayla Behrens (Moline, IL, Moline) that scored Neuville, who drew a lead-off walk.

Knox had a big second inning with six runs to push the lead to 7-1.

The Prairie Fire loaded the bases and scored on a walk to Neuville, followed by four consecutive singles by Bleidorn, Eisha, Behrens, and first-year Chelsey Howard (Galesburg, IL, Galesburg).  The last run of the inning scored when Shields was grazed on her batting helmet by a pitch that brought in Bleidorn.

Knox stretched the lead to 10-1 with three more tallies in the third inning.  A single by Eisha scored first-year Holly Bieber (Chicago, IL, Walter Payton), and Behrens doubled to drive in Neuville and Eisha.

Behrens also set a new single-season offensive record.  She has 14 doubles, breaking the previous all-time mark of 11 by Nicole Danielewicz in 1997.

The Lady Blues trimmed one run off of the deficit with a two-out single in the top of the fourth.

IC appeared to be in line for a big top of the fifth inning when the first five batters reached base with a single, a double, a walk, an RBI single, and another RBI single that cut the Knox lead to 10-4.  Shields got out of the inning by catching a pop-up for the first out.  The Prairie Fire turned an unconventional double play on a softly hit ball to second base that Bleidorn grabbed for the second out.  She then threw home to cut down a runner trying to score from third base for the third out of the inning.

Illinois College scored three more runs in the top of the sixth to pull within three runs, 10-7.

The first runner reached base on a single that was sandwiched between two fly ball outs.  An error kept the inning alive, and a single brought in the fifth run of the game for IC.  Two more runs scored on an infield error and a single, prompting a pitching change with Knox clinging to a three run lead.

Eisha came on in relief with runners on first and second and the potential tying run at the plate.  She retired the only batter she faced in the inning on a line drive that was snagged by Shields at first base to end the inning.

Eisha fought through a single and a hit batter with two outs in the top of the seventh.  She grabbed a come-backer to the mound and tossed it over to first base for the last out of the game – and a Prairie Fire sweep.

Shields (2-15) picked up the win after tossing 5 2/3 innings and allowing three earned runs on 11 hits with three walks and one strikeout.  Eisha earned the save, her first of the season, after working 1 1/3 innings in the circle and surrendering just one hit while striking out one.

Knox and IC both had 12 hits in the game.  Eight of the nine Prairie Fire hitters in the game had at least one hit.  The exception was Neuville, who walked three times and also contributed an RBI and a run scored.

Behrens led the Prairie Fire with four hits, four RBIs, and one run.  Eisha had two hits, two RBIs, and one run.   Shields, Price, and Bieber each got on base twice.  Bieber also scored a pair of runs and Price scored once.

Knox owns four straight wins against Illinois College thanks to a pair of sweeps in back-to-back seasons at the Knox Softball Field.

The Prairie Fire try to end the season on a high note with a double-header at Eureka College on Sunday.  The first game against the Red Devils (13-19) is scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m.