GALESBURG, Ill. — The last time the Knox softball team hosted Illinois College 10 days ago, the rain and lightning won the battle, suspending the first game of a doubleheader in the top of the second. Today, they resumed where they left off and completed the two games just before the rain started to fall with the visiting Lady Blues emerging on top, 9-0 and 13-1. Illinois College improved to 24-16 on the season and 13-3 in the Midwest Conference, while Knox fell to 2-33 overall and 1-13 in the league.
The story of the day was Lady Blue pitcher Jordan Closs, who picked up where she left off back on April 22 and retired every batter she faced for a five-inning perfect game. Of the 15 outs, 12 came on strikeouts as she needed just 62 pitches to earn her 13th win of the season against three losses.
Most of the damage by the Illinois College bats came 10 days ago, scoring seven runs before the suspension of the game. They pushed two more runs across the plate in the fifth to put the run-rule into effect, and Closs finished with a flourish, striking out the side to end the game.
Kendall Cole and Shelby Seiler each had three of the Lady Blues' 10 hits in the contest, while Brooke Loveall drove in three runs. Knox sophomore Janet Lentini (1-6) took the loss, although she allowed just four earned runs in her five innings in the circle.
Illinois College quickly jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning of game two, capped by a two-run double off the bat of Ezzy Mauermann. The Prairie Fire got one back in their half when Haylee Carpenter drew a bases-loaded walk, but a strikeout ended the inning with just the one run crossing the plate.
In the second stanza, the Lady Blues blew the game wide open with seven more runs, three coming on a bases-clearing double by Mauermann. Sophomore Charlie Davison was summoned from the bullpen at that point, and she held Illinois College to just one run over the final 3.2 frames.
Junior Maddie Hicks beat out an infield hit in the third to end the no-hit bid, and fifth-year Haylee Carpenter added a single in the fourth to account for the two Prairie Fire hits.
Avery Fritz (5-2) earned the win, allowing the one run on two hits and three walks while striking out eight. Fifth-year Londyn Nelson (1-13) was saddled with the loss.
The Prairie Fire will finish its season tomorrow at Cornell College (14-19, 6-8 MWC), which has won its last three games. The doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m. at Van Metre Family Softball Field in Mount Vernon, Iowa, with both games being streamed live, available through PrairieFire.Knox.edu, the official website of Knox Athletics.
