Championship Central |
Tournament Bracket
EAST PEORIA, Ill. – Six programs advanced to Friday and two were eliminated on the opening day of the 2021 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Softball Championship Tournament from the EastSide Centre. Four first-round games and two elimination contests highlighted day one, as the league postseason tournament returned to East Peoria, Ill., for the first time since 2019.
Top seeds University of Indianapolis, McKendree University, and Drury University opened the tournament with a victory, while fifth-seeded Rockhurst University also moved on in the winners bracket. Fourth-seeded Maryville University and seventh-seeded Lewis University also advanced to Friday after bouncing back in their respective elimination game.
Four games will be played on Friday from the EastSide Centre, starting with No. 1 UIndy and No. 5 Rockhurst at 11 a.m. CT. Second-seeded McKendree and third-seeded Drury are scheduled for around 1 p.m. CT, with a pair of elimination games to follow.
DAY ONE RESULTS
#5 Rockhurst 14, #4 Maryville 0
BOX |
GLVCSN | RECAPS:
RU,
MU
In a game that Rockhurst plated 14 runs in five innings, All-GLVC First Team starting pitcher Lexie Storrer was the story. The senior tossed a perfect game against the fourth-seeded Saints to open the 2021 tournament, striking out nine in the program's first since 2017. As a result, Storrer earned her 20th win of the season inside the circle to lead the charge. Emily Clark and Lauren Marks did most of the damage the plate for the Hawks, combining to go 8-for-8 with 12 RBI. Marks drilled a pair of dingers – in the first and third innings – while Clark finished with a homer and a double.
#1 UIndy 9, #8 Illinois Springfield 4
BOX |
GLVCSN | RECAPS:
UINDY,
UIS
The Prairie Stars jumped on GLVC Pitcher of the Year Hallie Waters for four runs in the first inning, but it didn’t take long for the Greyhounds to show their offensive prowess. After league Freshman of the Year Kenzee Smith entered the game in the third, UIndy responded with four runs of its own in thanks to homers from Emily O’Connor and Sydnee Perry. UIndy never looked back as Smith dominated on the rubber, with the rookie punching out five in 4.2 innings and the offense plating two more runs in each the fifth and sixth. The Greyhounds drilled five home runs in the win, as Lexy Rees and Taylor Danielson joined O’Connor and Perry in the dinger column. Carolyn Franke smashed a grand slam in the first frame, knocking in all four of the Prairie Stars’ runs.
#3 Drury 9, #6 Lindenwood 7
BOX |
GLVCSN | RECAPS:
DU,
LWU
The Panther offense came out swinging on Thursday, with Megan Tersteeg capping a five-run inning with a grand slam. After a three-run third made it 9-1 in favor of Drury, the Lions responded with a crooked number of their own in the top of the fourth. Lindenwood took advantage of a pair of throwing errors by the Panthers, before All-GLVC first teamer Hannah Johnson and Chloe Honchar each singled to cut the deficit to three. After Lindenwood tallied another run in the fifth, Panther reliever Karsyn Smith closed the door on the potential comeback, inducing seven ground outs over the final 3.2 innings. Devin Hale knocked in three and was one of eight Panthers to score in the win.
#2 McKendree 1, #7 Lewis 0
BOX |
GLVCSN | RECAPS:
MCK,
LU
Ellie Quaethem tossed a gem against Lewis on Thursday, scattering one hit across 6.1 scoreless frames to lead McKendree to a 1-0 win over Lewis. The rookie hurler struck out eight while in the circle before All-GLVC First Team selection Miranda Gajewski finished the Flyers off with the save. McKendree had five hits in the win, but it was a homer from sophomore Abby Behlmann in the fourth inning that proved to be the difference. Shelby Summer and Bailey Merritt each tallied two hits.
#4 Maryville 6, #8 Illinois Springfield 3
BOX |
GLVCSN | RECAPS:
MU,
UIS
The Saints bounced back in their second game of the day, eliminating Illinois Springfield from the GLVC tournament with a 6-3 victory. All-GLVC Second Team member Alyssa Callans returned to form against the Prairie Stars, tossing a complete game with five strikeouts. Maryville took advantage of three UIS fielding errors, which resulted in its first two runs of the evening. Calla Wickenhauser put the Prairie Stars in the lead with a three-run shot in the top of the fifth; however, Callans helped herself at the plate with an RBI single to knot the game in the Saints’ half of the frame. Maryville plated four in the final two innings before UIS threatened in the top of the seventh to no avail. The Saints will play the loser between McKendree and Drury at approximately 3 p.m., on Friday.
#7 Lewis 6, #6 Lindenwood 3
BOX |
GLVCSN | RECAPS:
LU,
LWU
After getting down 3-0 in the first four innings, the Lewis bats finally came alive in the bottom of the fifth. The Flyers plated six in the frame, capped by a two-run home run from starting pitcher Katie David. Following run-scoring triple from Jessica Lofthouse that opened the floodgates, Kristin Kavalauskas and Sara Serena knocked in a run to set up the David dinger. The senior, who also tossed a much-needed complete game inside the circle, finished with seven strikeouts to go with her 2-for-3 effort at the dish.