CENTRALIA, Ill. -- The Wabash Valley softball team played long ball to salvage a split of a Great Rivers Athletic Conference doubleheader at Kaskaskia on Monday.
The 4-2 win by the Lady Warriors followed a walk-off, 3-2, win by Kaskaskia in the opener. WVC is now 13-23 on the year and 8-9 in GRAC games. The Blue Angels stand 17-13 and 5-7. These two will play again on Apr. 22 in Mt. Carmel.
"I think we fought back well in Game 2," said Lady Warrior coach Jade Montgomery. "Game 1 obviously didn't have the outcome that we wanted, but we fought hard in Game 2 and found a way to win. I would like to see that fight travel into both games, rather than just one game."
Abbi Mocaby and Kinley Edwards delivered home runs in book-end fashion in the first game. Mocaby's fifth homer - which ties her with Jayley Akers for the team lead – came in the fourth inning, a two-run shot that gave the Lady Warriors a 2-0 lead.
Edwards led off the sixth by taking a 3-2 pitch and parking it over the center field fence for her fourth home run of the season and a much-needed cushion in the form of a 4-2 lead that finished the scoring.
"Kinley made some great adjustments that at bat," Montgomery said. "She saw lots of pitches, fought pitches off, and then was able to find the one she really liked and got her timing down to get behind the ball and crush it."
While Mocaby's homer helped "set the mood," according to Montgomery, Edwards offered "insurance" with hers.
"Coming up with those big hits allows our pitchers to breathe a little bit and just go to work. I am proud of both of them for finding a way to get the job done and score some big time runs."
Wabash Valley's other run came in the fifth inning, when Gracee Sullivan reached on an error, allowing Kinsly Heichelbech to score.
Lexi Burris, who came on in relief of starting pitcher Kyrsten White in the second, picked up the win, her third straight, to improve to 5-7 on the year. She allowed eight hits while striking out three and walking only one batter.
In the opener, Sydnee Garrett of Kaskaskia hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Blue Angels a 3-2 victory.
Wabash Valley scored single runs in the third and fourth to take a 2-0 lead. Kaskaskia closed in with one run in the fifth, setting the stage for Garrett's one-out heroics in the seventh.
Abby Schreiner delivered the run-scoring single in the third that put the Lady Warriors on the board. Taylor Wilke's ground out RBI then made it 2-0 in the fourth.
Demi Wolfe took the tough-luck loss in the circle and is now 6-11 on the season. She struck out seven and walked three, while allowing seven hits in 6 1/3 innings.
The busiest week of the regular season continues on Tuesday with a home doubleheader against Region 24 foe Frontier (19-13). The first pitch is at 2 p.m. CDT. The Lady Warriors return to GRAC play on Thursday at home against Southeastern (16-15, 6-9), before a Friday twinbill at Shawnee (3-30, 2-16).