Thursday's prep softball:Lady Falcons challenge state-ranked Carterville
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Against perhaps the best opponent on its entire schedule, Elverado High School's girls softball team put together one of its best performances of 2010 Thursday.
The Lady Falcons, 1-10, dropped their 10th consecutive game, falling just 2-1 against a powerful Carterville squad at the Elkville Village Park.
Weather allowing, EHS hosts the 11th annual Elverado Invitational Saturday and opens with pool play games versus Webber Township and Shawnee. A complete tourney schedule can be found on today's scoreboard page.
"We out-played them really in every aspect of the game except the scoreboard," Lady Falcons coach Donette Wheatley said. Both their runs were unearned and Kelsi Teague just pitched a great game."
Carterville scored single tallies against the lefty in the second and third innings, mustering just four hits. Teague struck out three and walked two,
In the third, Elverado sliced into the lead with the game's final run.
Sami Hicks led off with a basehit and moved to third on Kelsey Tuthil's one out hit.
Chelsea Cochran then followed with an RBI single to finish the scoring.
"The whole team hit the ball hard," Wheatley said. "This could and should be a big confidence booster for us. If you saw us play you wouldn't think that we are 1-10.
Hicks had two hits for Elverado with Courtney Morse, Teague and Corinne Wilson joining the seven-hit attack,
11th Annual
Elverado Invitational
Softball Tournament
Saturday, April 17
All games at Elkville Village Park north and south diamonds
POOLA:
Webber Township, Elverado, Shawnee.
POOL B:
Egyptian, Hamilton County, Century
Webber Township vs. Elverado, 9 a.m.
Egyptian vs. Century, 9 a.m.
Webber Township vs. Shawnee, 10:30 a.m.
Egyptian vs. Hamilton County, 10:30 a.m.
Elverado vs. Shawnee, noon
Century vs. Hamilton County, noon
CHAMPIONSHIP
Pool A winner vs. Pool B winner, 2:00