Sandburg Softball Picks Up 1st Victory Behind Benge’s 2-Hitter
Aaron Frey
Thursday, March 22, 2018 8:40 AM
Athletics
Danville, IL
Madison Benge (Stronghurst, Ill./West Central) hurled a two-hitter in Game 1 to help the Carl Sandburg College softball team earn its first victory of the season as the Chargers split a doubleheader at Danville Area on Wednesday. Sandburg (1-7) won the opener 10-0 in six innings before the Jaguars, among those receiving votes in this week’s NJCAA rankings, took Game 2 11-3 in five innings.
GAME 1
Sandburg 10, Danville Area 0 (6 innings)
Sandburg 212 005 — 10 13 1
Danville Area 000 000 — 0 2 0
W: Benge (1-2), 6 IP, 0 K, 4 BB
Sandburg Star of the Game
Benge yielded just a pair of singles and four walks in throwing a two-hit shutout for her first victory as a Charger. The Jaguars had just two runners reach second base against Benge, who threw 75 pitches. Benge also did damage at the plate, going 2 for 4 with a double, run and team-high three RBIs.
Key Moment
Already up 5-0, the Chargers blew the game open with a five-run sixth inning that featured five base hits and three walks. Sandburg sent 11 batters of the plate, getting RBI hits from Lizzie Malcolm (Milan, Ill./Alleman), Benge, Adre Vetter (Emden, Ill./Hartsburg-Emden) and Shay Anderson (Stronghurst, Ill./West Central) as well as a bases-loaded walk from Haley Stevenson (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg)
Top Chargers Hitters
- Malcolm 3 for 4, double, run, two RBIs
- Katie Droste (Biggsville, Ill./West Central) 2 for 5, triple, run, RBI
- Abigail Stranger (Abingdon, Ill./Abingdon-Avon) 2 for 3, two runs, RBI, stolen base
- Benge 2 for 4, double, run, three RBIs
GAME 2
Danville Area 11, Sandburg 3 (5 innings)
Sandburg 000 12 — 3 3 4
Danville Area 161 3x — 11 17 2
L: Stineman (0-3), 4 IP, 2 K, 0 BB
Key Moment
The Jaguars tallied a run in the first and added six in the second to take an early 7-0 lead.
Sandburg Star of the Game
Malcolm drove home a pair of runs to finish with four hits and four RBIs on the afternoon. She singled in Droste in the fourth and added a run-scoring fielder’s choice in the fifth.
Top Chargers Hitters
- Malcolm 1 for 3, two RBIs
- Droste 1 for 2, triple, run, RBI
Up Next
The Chargers will open their home schedule at 3 p.m. today against Spoon River at the William “Bill” Hungate Baseball/Softball Complex. Also, the start time for Friday’s home doubleheader against St. Ambrose JV has been changed to 2 p.m.
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