High School Girls Softball
Railers softball team strikes back with FOUR wins!

 

[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.

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]