Thursday's prep softball: Lady Indians score early and often
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[After navigating some tough-and troubled waters the past few games-Du Quoin High School's girls softball team needed a game like Wednesday's.
The Lady Indians found the sailing all smooth in a 15-5 run rule decision over host Steeleville, improving their record to 12-7.
Thursday at 4:30, Du Quoin visits Chester.
"We hit the ball hard today and our pitching gave us some good innings," Lady Tribe coach Jason James said. "It was nice to break a tough four-game losing streak and get a win. Hopefully, we can build from this."
Senior Chelsea Hill (7-4) worked the first three innings of shutout ball and struck out five to gain the pitching win. She allowed just two hits.
Michalea Brown-a sophomore-relieved and worked the last two innings.
Jessica Hirsch belted a grand slam home run, her third roundtripper, in the first as Du Quoin marked 10 times in the opening frame.
Freshman Cassidy Rice belted a three-run homer, stetching her school single season record to eight and Amanda Williams cleared the bases with a three-run triple in the sixth.
Nine different Lady Indian batters managed hits in the contest Ashley Hess (double), Hadley Marek (double), Hill (double) and Carley Hill (double) contributing extra base knocks.
All totalled, James sent 16 different hitters to the plate in the six-inning contest.
"We had a couple of errors in the fifth that led to Steeleville's rins," James said. "But we bounced back and scored four more times in the dixth."