May 2, 2018
GALESBURG — Freshmen Kylie Stineman (New Boston, Ill./Mercer County) and Madison Stewart (Williamsfield, Ill./Williamsfield) each hurled shutouts to help the Carl Sandburg College softball team beat Illinois Valley in its best-of-three quarterfinal series in the Region IV tournament Wednesday afternoon at the William “Bill” Hungate Baseball/Softball Complex.
Fourth-seeded Sandburg (16-31) advances to the four-team, double-elimination semifinals of the tournament, to be played Saturday and Sunday in Freeport
GAME 1
Sandburg 6, Illinois Valley 0
Illinois Valley 000 000 0 — 0 6 1
Sandburg 010 104 x — 6 8 0
W: Kylie Stineman 7 IP, 2 K, 0 BB
Key Moment
Clinging to a 2-0 lead, the Chargers blew the game open with a four-run sixth. An RBI single from Haley Stevenson (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg) and two-run triple by Katie Droste (Biggsville, Ill./West Central) were the big hits in the frame.
Sandburg Star of the Game
Stineman stymied the Eagles, holding them to just six hits in the game. The righthander struck out two, didn’t issue a walk and even went 2 for 2 at the plate for the Chargers.
Top Chargers Hitters
- Stineman 2 for 2
- Droste 1 for 4, triple, run, two RBIs
- Stevenson 1 for 3, walk, run, two RBIs
- Sarah Lindsay (Athens, Ill./Athens) 1 for 1, two walks, run, RBI
GAME 2
Illinois Valley 7, Sandburg 5
Illinois Valley 200 041 0 — 7 14 0
Sandburg 030 101 0 — 5 13 2
L: Madison Benge 4.1 IP, 2 K, 2 BB
Key Moment
Sandburg took a 4-2 lead into the fifth, but the Eagles scored four runs on five hits to grab a 6-5 advantage and added an insurance run in the sixth.
Sandburg Star of the Game
Botting ninth in the order, Sarah Lindsay went 3 for 3 with three runs scored.
Top Chargers Hitters
- Lindsay 3 for 3, three runs
- Droste 2 for 4, double, two RBIs
- Whitney Wynkoop (Fulton, Ill./Fulton) 2 for 4
GAME 3
Sandburg 7, Illinois Valley 0
Sandburg 033 100 0 — 7 11 0
Illinois Valley 000 000 0 — 0 4 5
W: Stewart 7 IP, 1 K, 3 BB
Key Moment
Back-to-back run-scoring doubles from Benge and Abigail Stranger (Abingdon, Ill./Abingdon-Avon) keyed a three-run second for Sandburg, and the Chargers doubled their lead with three more in the third.
Sandburg Star of the Game
Facing elimination, Stewart turned in a gem with a four-hitter for her first shutout of the season. The lefthander struck out just one but was 17 of 28 on first-pitch strikes, and the Sandburg defense didn’t commit an error behind her.
Top Chargers Hitters
- Lindsay 2 for 3, walk, two runs
- Benge 2 for 4, double, run, two RBIs
- Stevenson 2 for 4, run
