By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Normal, IL---The No. 8 Express softball team pounced on No. 2 Kankakee early and often en route to earning a berth in the national title game with a 13-2 win.
Owens scored two in the first, three in the second, three in the third and five more in the fifth to demoralize Kankakee's two pitchers, Lauren Huber and Jenna Slifer. They didn't score any more than that because they were the home team and didn't get a chance to hit in the fifth inning.
In the first, Lindsey Bandeen hit a two run double to score Alaina Haubert and Ashleigh Whitacre. In the second, Michelle Hollister produced an RBI single before Kristen Roznoski had a two-run single to put Owens up 5-0.
In the third, Matea Rice came up with one of the tournament's biggest moments for the Express. After Haubert and Bandeen reached on singles, Rice hit a three run homer to centerfield that busted the game wide open and gave Owens an 8-0 lead.
In the fourth, Kankakee's cleanup hitter Danielle Burge hit a two-run homer to cut the deficit to six. However, the Express offense then produced their biggest inning of the game.
Roznoski led off with a bunt single, Whitacre walked and Haubert singled to load the bases. Bandeen then had a run scoring single that re-loaded the bases. Allison Hausch then pinch hit for Tayler Redinger and produced a two-run double to right center that put the Express up 11-2. After a walk by Rice, Kelley Molloy struck out and Bridget Wolfe popped up to third base for the first two outs of the inning. Hollister then hit a two-run double down the left field line to make it 13-2.
Overall, the Express offense had 17 hits, 13 runs, four doubles, two walks and one home run in four innings.
Rice finished 2-for-2 with two runs, three RBIs and a walk. Meanwhile, Haubert went 3-for-3 with three runs scored, Roznoski went 3-for-4 with a run and two RBIs, Bandeen went 3-for-3 with two runs and three RBIs, and Hollister went 2-for-3 with a run and three RBIs from the nine hole.
While her offense rolling, Michalak had only given up the two-run homer. She allowed only six hits while walking zero and striking out three over five innings. It was her first appearance in the tournament. She is now 11-1 this season.
Huber took the loss for Kankakee, but Slifer had the worst line. Huber allowed five runs and seven hits in 1.1 innings, while Slifer allowed 10 hits, eight runs and two walks in 2.2 innings pitched.
Huber had allowed only 11 hits and one earned run in the tournament over 15 innings against Oakland, East Central and Pasco Hernando. Slifer had pitched six innings and allowed only three hits and one walk to East Central. The two of them had bad outings in their only loss to LSU-Eunice.
With the win, the Express tied the school record for most wins in a season with 44. They will take on LSU-Eunice in the national championship. They must win twice to take home the title.