LISLE, Ill. - The Rockford College softball team began its four game road trip on Sunday when it traveled East to face the Benedictine University Eagles. The Regents have not faired well against the Eagles since both teams left the Northern Illinois Iowa Conference and joined the Northern Athletics Conference for the start of the 2007 season. Rockford entered Sunday's games with an 0-12 record against Benedictine in NAC play, and that streak continued as the Regents were once again unable to break through and pick up a win falling 6-1 and 11-3.
The Eagles used two big innings and then thwarted a late comeback attempt by the Regents to take the opening game. Following two and a half scoreless innings, the Eagles scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the third to jump out to a 2-0 lead. Rockford had a couple of chances to answer as the ladies got a runner in scoring position in each of the next two innings, but were unable to come up with a clutch hit. Benedictine then broke the game wide open in the bottom of the fifth scoring 4 runs off of 5 hits to extend its lead to 6-0. Rockford was finally able to string some offense together in the top of the seventh and get on the scoreboard. Following a leadoff walk, pinch hitter Heidi Dockstader (Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville) singled into left field putting runners on first and second with no outs. After Benedictine retired the next two batters, senior Jossilyn Jones (Rockford, Ill./Guilford) drove in Rockford's only run of the game with an RBI single into center field. Benedictine then retired the next batter to seal the 6-1 victory.
Rockford got off to a fast start in game two when it took the lead early but was unable to hold down the potent Benedictine offense. Just like in game one Jones was heavily involved in Rockford getting on the scoreboard. The senior led off the game with a single and then advanced to second on sacrifice bunt. Sophomore Jessica Segalla (Loves Park, Ill./Harlem) drove in her first run of the day when she doubled in Jones giving Rockford its first lead of the afternoon. The Regents then took advantage of a Benedictine error later in the inning to score its second run and take a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the first. However, Rockford was unable to hold onto the lead for very long as the Eagles scored the next five runs giving them a 5-2 lead after two innings. Senior Alexis Ford (Cortland, Ill./DeKalb) shrunk the Eagle lead with a clutch two-out single to right center scoring Sarah Moritz (Heyworth, Ill./Heyworth) to make it a 5-3 ballgame after two and half innings. Unfortunately that was as close as Rockford got for the remainder of the game as Benedictine scored the next 6 runs to complete the sweep with an 11-3 victory.
The softball team returns to the diamond on Tuesday, April 16th when it on the road to face Concordia University Wisconsin. First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 3:00 PM.
