The Three Rivers College softball team used a potent combination of strong hitting and strong pitching to sweep a doubleheader against the St. Charles Lady Cougars Tuesday at J.D. Rains Field.
The Lady Raiders took the opener 7-3, then won the nightcap 9-0 in a game that was shortened to five innings.
With Tuesday's two wins, Three Rivers improves to 19-6 on the season.
In the first game, the score was tied at 3-3 going to the bottom of the sixth inning when Trista Grobe led off the inning with a base hit. Audrey Rahlmann followed that up with a go-ahead two-run homer to make it 5-3.
After Josie Bezzole walked and then moved to second on a Jessica Hulsey bunt, AnnMarie Simpson hit TRC's second two-run homer of the inning to cap the rally.
Simpson had three hits in the opener to pace the Lady Raiders, while Lexi Davis and Karlye Happold each added a pair. Simpson, Davis and Rahlmann each drove in three runs, while Davis also homered.
A.J. Agers earned the win in the circle for Three Rivers, allowing three runs and eight hits while striking out five and walking none in a complete-game victory.
In the second game, TRC led 4-0 going to the bottom of the fourth inning when the offense put together a five-run rally to put the game out of reach.
Camryn Casey led off the inning with a base hit, while Simpson walked and Agers singled to load the bases.
That set the table for Grobe, who doubled home Simpson and Casey to make it 6-0.
Two batters later, Alyssa Bastien hit a three-run homer to score Grobe and Agers, making it 9-0 and capping the rally.
When the Lady Raiders' offense wasn't doing work at the plate, Elly Eckrich was doing it in the circle. The hurler tossed a four-hit shutout, striking out seven and walking one in five innings of work. Sixty-four of her 98 pitches were for strikes.
Simpson and Grobe each had three hits in the contest, while Bastien drove in three runs and the duo of Agers and Grobe each drove in a pair.
Three Rivers is back in action Thursday when the Lady Raiders travel to St. Louis Community College.
Mike Buhler - Daily American Republic
