By Fred Kroner
Villa Grove’s softball team held a unique doubleheader on Wednesday (April 20) – playing two different opponents at home – and reached the .500 mark by sweeping the two games.
The Blue Devils started the day by dispatching Heritage 15-0 and followed up by scoring twice in the bottom of the sixth inning to snap a 9-9 tie enroute to an 11-9 decision over Arcola.
Alison Pangburn continued her torrid streak, socking a double and a home run in the shutout win over Heritage.
In her last three games, Pangburn is 11-for-15 with seven extra-base hits. She knocked in three runs.
Other batting leaders for the Blue Devils – who played errorless defense – were Kaylee Arbuckle, Alex Brown, Madison Hinds and Addie Wilson with two hits apiece.
For Wilson, it was her third game in a row with two hits.
Hinds collected four RBI. Clodfelder drilled a home run and knocked in two runs. Scoring two runs apiece were Arbuckle, Brown and Logan Lillard. Pangburn tallied three runs.
Bratten-Noice pitched three innings and earned the win. She struck out two and walked no one. Brown worked the fourth inning and fanned two batters.
Against Arcola, Clodfelder extended her power surge to five consecutive games with a homer. She drilled three hits and drove in two runs.
Villa Grove pounded 14 hits in the game and seven went for extra bases.
The team’s other top batsmen were Emma Bratten-Noice with three hits and Arbuckle, Brown and Lillard with two hits apiece.
Hinds drove in three runs. Bratten-Noice and Brown had two RBI. Arbuckle, Bratten-Noice and Clodfelder all scored three runs.
Brown pitched all seven innings and collected nine strikeouts.
Despite pounding seven home runs – three by Pangburn – Villa Grove dropped a 17-16 softball decision at Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond on Monday (April 18) when AL/AH scored twice in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Pangburn was 5-for-6 and drove in four runs. She scored five runs and also laced a double.
Every Villa Grove starter had at least one hit and seven players had two, or more.
Other home runs came off the bats of Clodfelder (two), Brown and Olivia Jones.
Villa Grove outhit AL/AH 22-14, but were undone by 11 errors.
Clodfelder and Chloe Reardon each contributed three hits. Totaling two hits each were Arbuckle, Brown, Hinds and Wilson.
Jones had three RBI. Clodfelder drove in two runs and scored three runs. Hinds and Jones both tallied two runs.
Brown pitched 2 2/3 innings and collected five strikeouts. Bratten-Noice pitched 4 2/3 innings and struck out one, but walked no one.
Villa Grove (11-11) returns to action on Thursday (April 21) at Georgetown-Ridge Farm.
