Lady Coalers pick up first win, split series with Joliet West

By: 
Brent Sumner
Staff Writer

    The Coal City varsity softball team earned its first win of the season on Saturday, when they split a double-header with Joliet West.
    The Lady Coalers (1-5 overall, 0-1 conference) dropped the first game in five innings, losing by 10 runs, 11-1, but rallied back in the second game to win it, 6-3.
    Coal City recorded its only run of the first game in the first inning.
    Sydney Miller got thing started, as she was hit by a pitch to advance to first. She reached third on a sacrifice from Abbie Cullick, who reached on an error.
    Miller would eventually score on a passed ball to give the Lady Coalers a 1-0 advantage.
    Unfortunately, the rest of the game belonged to Joliet, as they tallied two runs in the bottom of the first, three in the second, five in the third and one more in the fifth.
    The Lady Coalers were unable to get any offense going on the day, registering zero hits.
    Alivia Phelps suffered the loss in the pitcher’s circle, as she put in two innings of work, letting up five earned runs off four hits, walking four and striking out two.
    Leslie Youskevtch came on for the remaining 2.1 innings. She surrendered six runs (five earned) off six hits, walked two and struck out one.
    The second game of the day went a lot better for Coal City offensively, as they scattered 12 hits en route  to their 6-3 win.
    The Lady Coalers got on the board in the third inning thanks to an RBI triple from Madison Emerson, giving Coal City a 1-0 lead.
    Joliet responded in the bottom of the fourth, but Coal City pulled ahead once again in the sixth inning with two runs.
    Alivia Phelps came up big with a blast to center field, as she drove in two runs on a double. Emerson and Leah Campos recorded the runs.
    Joliet wouldn’t go away  though, as they responded again in the bottom of the frame with two runs of their own.
    Heading into the seventh, the game was tied, 3-3.
    Facing two outs, Miller got the offense rolling in the last frame with a single, followed by a single from Abbie Cullick.
    Emerson would receive a walk to load the bases, and Campos followed that up with a single to drive in one run.
    The small ball continued, as Youskevtch and Phelps both recorded singles to drive in Cullick and Emerson, taking a 6-3 advantage.
    Joliet was held off the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh, as the Lady Coalers picked up their first win of the season.
    Youskevtch also received the win in the pitcher’s circle, hurling all seven innings.
    She let up just three runs (two earned) off seven hits, walked two and struck out six.
    Coal City was scheduled to play Sandwich on Monday, but the game was canceled due to weather.
    The Lady Coalers were scheduled to travel to Sandwich on Tuesday, and will return home on Wednesday to compete against the Indians again, a rescheduling from Monday.
Herscher 4,
Coal City 2

    After a week-long break due to weather, the Coal City softball team resumed action on Friday with a conference match-up against Herscher.
    Coal City wound up losing to a Lady Tiger team that came alive late, as the Lady Coalers suffered their first loss in the I-8 and remained searching for their first win of the season.
    Cali Caruso got things started on Friday, earning the first hit for Coal City.
    She wound up crossing the plate on an RBI from Leah Campos, who reached first on an error.
    Herscher tied the game 1-1 in the top of the fourth, and grew their lead in the sixth, 3-1.
    The Lady Coalers registered one more run in the bottom of the sixth, as Abbey Spesia recorded a sacrifice hit to score Campos.
    The Lady Tigers added one more insurance run in the seventh inning, as Coal City was unable to respond, receiving the loss.
    The offense still managed six hits in the game, with Miller, Campos, Spesia, Kristyn Daigger, Phelps and Caruso each adding hits. Phelps had a double.
    In the pitcher’s circle, Youskevtch wound up suffering the loss, putting in all seven innings of work.
    She let up four earned runs off six hits, walked three and struck out three.