On a rather chilly day for April's standards, the Blackburn College Softball Team hosted the Spalding University Golden Eagles in a doubleheader. Today's games also marked the last collegiate home games for four Blackburn seniors.
Before game one, seniors Mary Chamberlain (Johnsburg, Ill.), Erica Wilson (O'Fallon, Ill.), Nicole Lamore (Bourbonnais, Ill.), and Leslie Stumpf (Columbia, Ill.) were honored for their time as a Blackburn Beaver.
The Golden Eagles ruined the mood quickly as they came out swinging. After three innings of play, Spalding held a 6-0 lead. It escalated to 9-0 before Megan Ude (Bunker Hill, Ill.) hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth for her first of the season. That was all Blackburn could manage against Spalding pitcher Kelci Flener, who allowed just three hits while striking out eight in five innings. The final score was 9-1.
Ude had two of Blackburn's three hits while Jaclyn Elmore (Lebanon, Ill.) accounted for the third.
In game two, the Beavers got their bats going, but Spalding's still remained toasty. 14-10 was the final score in game two as the Golden Eagles went back to Kentucky with a sweep.
Blackburn got on the board first with another Megan Ude homer. This time it was a three-run bomb and it gave the Beavers an early lead. Spalding answered with a flurry of runs as they got three in the second, two in the thrid, and six in the fourth to pull out to an 11-4 lead. Elmore gave the Beavers run number four with a solo shot in the third.
After six, Spalding's lead now stood at 14-5. The Beavers made things interesting with a five spot in the sixth but couldn't score more in the seventh. Elmore hit her second bomb of the game and team-high eighth of the year.
Elmore and Ude proived much of the offense as they went a combined 4-for-8 with seven RBI and five runs scored. Chamberlain scored twice and drove in two.
The Beavers are back in action tomorrow afternoon at Missouri Baptist for a doubleheader scheduled for a 2:00 PM start. They will finish off the season on Tuesday.