Lady Indians take down Carterville
DU QUOIN - With a little help from the foul pole, the Du Quoin High School softball team knocked off Carterville for the first time in five years Monday.
The Lady Indians struck early with a run in the first inning and got a mammoth home run from Morgan Bullar to beat Carterville, 5-1, in the SIRR Mississippi Division opener for both teams.
Du Quoin improved to 7-2 overall with the win, while Carterville dropped to 4-2.
"That," said Du Quoin coach Jason James, "was a big win for us."
Katie Smith gave Du Quoin a quick 1-0 lead when she doubled to lead off the bottom of the first and scored on a passed ball.
The biggest moment of the game arguably happened in the top of the third before Du Quoin scored again.
Carterville loaded the bases after freshman Megan Beach and senior Hanna Schulmeister both singled and Montana Taylor was given an intentional walk.
That brought up sophomore Gracie Taylor and she crushed the first pitch from Du Quoin hurler Chloe Hill over the fence but less than a foot to the left of the foul pole down the third-base line.
Instead of a grand slam, it was a very loud strike. And moments later, Taylor popped up to first base and Grace Haney made the catch to end the inning.
"Just foul," James said. "That would have changed the game."
Bullar then led off the bottom half with a bomb of her own - nowhere close to the foul pole - to give the Lady Indians a 2-0 lead.
Smith popped an RBI double in the fourth after Avery Waller walked and after Bullar was given a walk, Haney scorched a run-scoring single to push the lead to 4-0.
Smith worked a leadoff walk in the sixth and scored her third run of the game on a single by pitcher Chloe Hill for the final run.
Carterville's lone tally against Hill in the circle came in the seventh when Beach smacked a triple. Hill had just three strikeouts, but two of them were in the seventh to close it out.
"Chloe pitched awesome and the defense was outstanding behind her," James said. "And we had several big hits with runners in scoring position."
Bullar, Smith and Haney all had two hits and Chloe Hess also had a hit for the Lady Indians.
Du Quoin was scheduled to play Pinckneyville on Tuesday, although that was not looking promising as of the Call's press deadline. The week's schedule also includes games at Johnston City on Wednesday and at Sparta on Thursday, if weather permits.