High School Girls
Softball
Railers softball team strikes back with FOUR wins!
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[April 01, 2024]
The Lincoln Railers softball team not only found their first win of
the season, now the team is on a roll, winning four in a row!
Two shutouts and a one-hitter highlight three of the games, thus
showcasing the outstanding abilities of the young trio of pitchers
Lincoln has to offer: Madisen Wurth, Norah Block and Regan Kutz.
Last week’s winning wrap up
Lincoln 12
Jacksonville 6
Lincoln’s offense busted out in a big way in the first inning at
Jacksonville last Tuesday, scoring five runs. Taryn Stoltzenburg hit
a lead-off single and Grey Gilbert followed with a double. Regan
Kutz then singled in Stoltzenburg with the first run of the game.
After Kelsey Marten was hit by a pitch, Faith Eckhardt drove in two
runs with a single to right. Courtesy runner Lily Holmes scored
another run on an error by the catcher. Emma Hutchison’s fielder’s
choice allowed Lincoln to go up 5-0. Hutchison would later be called
out trying to steal home, ending the inning.
Lincoln’s next big inning was the fourth inning. With the bases
loaded, Kutz singled to right, scoring one run. The Railers were
then able to clear the bases thanks to a sacrifice bunt by Eckhardt
and an error by the catcher.
Lincoln was up 9-3 after the top of the fourth inning.
Eckhardt offered up another sacrifice bunt in the top of the sixth
inning, scoring Kutz with the tenth run.
Grey Gilbert batted in two runs in the top of the seventh inning and
with Lincoln using a trio of pitchers to hold the Crimson down, the
Railers picked up the first win of the season by a final score of
12-6.
Regan Kutz started the game for Lincoln. She worked three innings,
giving up four hits and two earned runs. She walked one and struck
out five.
Norah Block worked one middle inning in relief, allowing one hit and
one earned run. She walked one and struck out one.
Madisen Wurth pitched the final three innings, allowing one hit. She
walked four and struck out six.
Taryn Stoltzenburg continues to be a dynamite lead-off hitter for
Lincoln. She was 4-for-4 with two runs scored.
Other players having sensational at bats:
Grey Gilbert was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs.
Regan Kutz was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs.
Faith Eckhardt was 2-for-2 with a run scored and four RBIs.
Kelsey Marten, Madisen Wurth, Kate Farnam and Morgan Sheley each had
one hit.
Southeast 0
Lincoln 19
This game was pretty much over in the first inning for the Spartans
on Wednesday, with Lincoln scoring 12 runs on just two hits.
Taryn Stoltzenburg and Kelsey Marten were the only two Lincoln
batters who could chase the ball down somewhat near the strike zone
and put the bat on it for a hit. Stoltzenburg had a lead-off bunt
single to start the bottom half of the first inning, while later in
the inning, Marten managed to connect for a two-run single to left.
Everything else in the inning was either a walk, and there were ten
of those issued, or a hit batter, of which three Lincoln batters can
claim that title.
Moving to the second inning, the Railers scored six more runs. This
inning was dotted with walks and hit batters as well, but Farnam and
Gilbert did manage run-scoring singles to help the Railers to an
18-0 lead after two innings.
Madison Kurka delivered the big hit of the game when she crushed a
triple on the first pitch in her at bat in the third inning. Kurka
drove in Lily Holmes with the final run of the game.
Madisen Wurth pitched the final inning for Lincoln and she struck
out the side on a dozen pitches, ten of which were strikes.
Regan Kutz started the game for Lincoln and worked one and one-third
innings, allowing two hits. She struck out two and walked one.
Norah Block was the middle reliever this game, working one and
two-thirds innings. She struck out five batters and walked none.
Stoltzenburg, Gilbert, Marten, Farnam and Kurka were the only
hitters who successfully made connection with the ball, in what was
a very wild Spartans pitching staff. Two different pitchers for
Southeast allowed 16 walks.
[to top of second column] |
Mahomet-Seymour 1
Lincoln 12
Lincoln’s offense was on display again Saturday as they hosted a
round robin tournament at Schweitzer Field.
Lincoln used three solid offensive innings to keep themselves in the
win column by knocking off Mahomet-Seymour 12-1.
The Railers took a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning, led
by Wurth, Hutchison, Sheley and Stoltzenburg. Wurth’s bunt single
scored the first run. Hutchison’s fielder’s choice put Lincoln on
top. Sheley’s ground out extended the lead. Stoltzenburg’s single to
left set the score at 4-1.
Wurth increased the lead to 5-1 in the bottom of the third inning
with her hit to right.
Kutz tallied a single in the bottom of the fourth inning that drove
home two more runs. Marten added an RBI double to center, making the
Lincoln lead a solid 8-1.
Marten doubled again in the bottom of the sixth inning, driving home
two runs in this at bat. Lincoln would win by the ten-run rule when
Block bunted and reached on an error and Holmes and Eckhardt both
scored.
Regan Kutz and Norah Block each combined to pitch against the
Bulldogs.
Kutz worked the first four innings, allowing five hits and one
unearned run. She struck out one batter.
Block worked the final two innings, allowing a walk.
Kelsey Marten and Madisen Wurth were outstanding in the batter’s box
for Lincoln.
Marten went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
Wurth was 2-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI.
Stoltzenburg, Kutz and Farnam each had one hit.
Lincoln 11
Richwoods 0
Madisen Wurth pitched a gem for Lincoln as the Railers blanked
Peoria Richwoods 11-0 in game two Saturday afternoon. Wurth tossed
five innings, allowing just one hit and striking out eight batters.
Playing the role of the visitors for this game, the Railers bats
were hot in the first inning, delivering four hits.
Stoltzenburg got the ball rolling with a single to the pitcher.
After a walk to Gilbert, Kutz singled in the first run of the game.
Wurth delivered a big hit when she doubled to left and drove in two
runs. Eckhardt also singled in the opening inning. Lincoln scored
three runs in the first inning.
A single, a walk and an error put Lincoln up 4-0 in the second
inning.
Three more runs will come across the plate for Lincoln in the top of
the third inning. Farnam delivered a two-run single and Sheley’s
second hit of the game drove in Farnam, as Lincoln’s lead climbed to
7-0.
Three errors by Richwoods in the top of the fifth inning buried the
Knights as Lincoln scored four more times. Stoltzenburg had the only
hit of the inning and Lincoln went up 11-0.
Wurth breezed through the bottom of the fifth inning, picking up the
win, after two strikeouts and a ground out.
Stoltzenburg, Wurth and Sheley paced the Railers offensively to the
win.
Stoltzenburg was 2-for-2 with a run scored.
Wurth was 2-for-3 with a run scored and two RBIs.
Sheley was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Kutz, Farnam and Eckhardt each delivered one hit.
Lincoln’s record improved to 4-6 on the season.
Last week the team did start Monday with an 8-3 loss to Morton.
Taryn Stoltzenburg and Faith Eckhardt each had a multi-hit game but
an early five-run first inning by Morton was too much for Lincoln to
handle.
This week the Railers play three home games:
Tuesday vs. Rochester at 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday vs. Glenwood at 4:30 p.m.
Thursday vs. Champaign Central at 4:00 p.m.
[Teena Lowery]
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