Chester wins Sparta tournament, ties school record
<span>SPARTA -- A day after having its 12-game, season-opening winning streak snapped in a loss to Johnston City, the Chester Lady Yellow Jackets rebounded to sweep the competition at the Sparta Invitational Tournament on Saturday.</span>
<span>"I think it was a big day, we got three wins," said Chester coach Tracy Colvis. "We lost to Johnston City on Friday and that was our first loss. We really didn't play our game and I kept telling the girls 'You've got to get back on your horse.'"</span>
<span>Chester beat Carlyle 13-4, Red Bud 9-3 and Sparta 10-2 to win the tournament title and tie the school record with 15 wins, set in 1992.</span>
<span>The Lady Yellow Jackets (15-1) will go for the record on Tuesday against Trico, which was ranked seventh in the state in Class 1A in Monday's Illinois Coaches Association poll.</span>
<span>"It's very exciting, but tying is nothing," Colvis said. "We've got to keep pushing through. Trico is Trico.</span>
<span>"They've built a tradition, they're great. So, it's going to be a great game for us and a team we want to beat."</span>
<span>The 8-2 loss to the Lady Indians turned into a significant motivator for Chester, which scored eight runs in the bottom of the fourth in the tournament opener against Carlyle thanks in part to a grand slam by freshman Carlee Weir.</span>
<span>Weir, who also got the win in the pitching circle, finished 2-3 with a double and five RBIs. Logan Colvis came on to earn the save for the Lady Yellow Jackets.</span>
<span>"I'm really happy with how we bounced back and kept being winners," Colvis.</span>
<span>Against Sparta in the finale, the Lady Bulldogs pushed two runs across in the bottom of the first inning against Colvis.</span>
<span>But Chester got a run back in the bottom of the inning and plated five more in the second thanks to some timely hitting and shaky Sparta defense.</span>
<span>Chester added another run in the third on a solo home run by Weir before tacking on three more in the fifth. The game was called early due to time limit.</span>
<span>"We had really good defense," Colvis said. "Our pitching hit its spots well and that helped us out tremendously.</span>
<span>"I think our defense is the most important thing. Defense wins championship ballgames and once we get a lead, we play good D."</span>
<span>Miah Mitchell, who homered against Carlyle and Red Bud, went 2-for-4 with two RBIs against Sparta for Chester, while Kaitlyn Dillow and Alyssa Keith each finished 2-for-3 with an RBI.</span>
<span>As a team, the Lady Yellow Jackets pounded out 12 hits against Sparta and finished the day with 35 total in the three games.</span>
<span>"I think that's the best way to do it," Colvis said, on if she wanted to play right away after the loss to Johnston City. "These girls are aggressive and I think that's the only way to fight through something is to fight, so I was ready to play."</span>
Chester 13, Carlyle 4
<span>The teams were tied 2-2 after the first inning and Chester led 4-3 after two. The Lady Yellow Jackets added a solo run in the third before their eight-run fourth.</span>
<span>Miah Mitchell went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBis for the Lady Yellow Jackets, who also got a 2-for-2 performance - with an RBI - from Jenna Wahl and Haley Middendorf.</span>
Chester 9, Red Bud 3
<span>Miah Mitchell went 3-for-4 with a home run for Chester, while Claire Junger went 1-for-3 with two RBIs.</span>
<span>Karson Colvis also drove in two runs and Shea Petrowske picked up the win in the circle for the Lady Yellow Jackets.</span>
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