By Fred Kroner
Emma Bratten-Noice hit her first home run of the season and finished Villa Grove’s first no-hitter of the softball season on Monday (May 10), a 15-0 triumph at home over Cerro Gordo/Bement.
Alexandria Brown pitched the first two innings of the gem, walking one and striking out four. Bratten-Noice struck out two of the three batters she faced in the third and final inning.
Five Blue Devils contributed at least two hits, led by Allison Pangburn, who was 3-for-3 with a single, double and triple.
Teammates with two hits were Kyleigh Block, Brown, Maci Clodfelder and Kayln Cordes. Brown had three RBI.
The win was the third in a row for VG, which has scored 48 runs in that span. During a six-game losing streak that preceded the turnaround, the Blue Devils had managed seven total runs.
On Wednesday (May 12), a walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth inning enabled Fisher to get past the Blue Devils 9-6.
Clodfelder stroked a home run for VG.
Kaylee Arbuckle and Block each had two hits for the Blue Devils.
Block pitched a complete game and struck out five.
Villa Grove (4-9) returns to action on Thursday at home against Georgetown-Ridge Farm.
