GRANITE CITY – Edwardsville softball pitcher Riley Nelson had a great day at both the plate and inside the circle, striking out eight in three innings, and also going two-for-four with four RBIs as the Tigers took a 12-0 win over Granite City in a game played Tuesday afternoon at the Granite City softball field at the Nelson Hagnauer Sports Complex.
The Warriors’ park is an all-turf field that opened last season and is right across from Babe Champion Field, Granite’s baseball facility. It’s a part of the school’s sports complex, and was the Granite City Community Unit School District number 9’s first turf field, and replaced George Sykes Field in Wilson Park as the team’s home park.
The Tigers scored three runs in both the first and third innings, five runs in the fourth, and one run in the fifth to take the 10-run rule win.
Nelson smacked a pair of doubles for her two-hit, four-RBI day at the plate for Edwardsville, while Graham Cobb-Guledge had two hits and three RBIs, Madi Kolakowski had a pair of hits and an RBI, both Jillian Lane and Grace Oertle had two hits each, Sophie Antonini delivered a hit and RBI, and Brooke Burris, Shelby Gorniak, Jillian Hawkes, and Lily Stone all had hits on the day.
Grace Joiner had the Warriors’ only hit, while Christine Myers started inside the circle and pitched three innings, allowing six runs, two earned, on seven hits while striking out three. Rachel Willaredt threw in the fifth inning, giving up a run on two hits, fanning one, and Emilie Saggio pitched in the fourth inning and allowed five runs, three earned, on six hits, with no strikeouts.
Nelson pitched three innings for the Tigers, not allowing a run or a hit while fanning eight, and Antonini pitched the final two innings, allowing only one hit while striking out four.
Granite is now 2-6 on the year, and next plays at Civic Memorial at 4:30 p.m., hosts Roxana on Saturday, with an 11 a.m. start, and then plays at Belleville West next Tuesday, starting at 4:30 p.m.
The Tigers improve to 4-1 and continue their road swing Thursday at Collinsville, play at CM on Friday, and conclude the road trip next Tuesday at Alton, with all three games starting at 4:30 p.m.
