The exciting battle between Moraine Valley and Waubonsee Community College included a few rallies and raged on through their doubleheader, leading to a split.
The Cyclones won the first game 6-5, where Liz McCuan went the distance in a tight faceoff and key conference win. She struck out seven, scattered eight hits and came up big in the bottom of the sixth, ending a Chiefs' rally. Waubonsee took a 1-0 lead in the third on a solo home run before the Cyclones put up four runs in the fourth. Madi Davis, who's batting .376 this season, and Donna Booe, who's averaging .436, opened the inning with singles, and Samantha Stahl walked to load the bases with nobody out. Karly Krown hit an RBI sac fly to right scoring Davis. Darcee Nichols followed with a double to centerfield scoring Booe. Morgan Moran came up with a double to score Stahl before Jessica Coyle brought home Nichols on an RBI ground out. In the bottom of the fifth, the Chiefs closed the lead by scoring two runs to make it 4-3, but Coyle answered with a clutch one-out single that knocked in two and put her team up 6-3. Waubonsee mounted a rally in the sixth, scoring twice to close the gap to 6-5 with the tying run at second and only one out. McCuan, however, slammed the door with two big strikeouts in the heart of the Chiefs' order.
The second game was closer than the 9-4 loss indicates. The Cyclone bats were quiet for four innings as they mustered just one hit while the Chiefs jumped to a 6-0 lead. Down 6-0 in the bottom of the fifth with a struggling offense, the Cyclones came roaring back with two outs and nobody on. Coyle singled, and Martinez came in to pinch run for her. Kaminsky followed with a single to center, and Angela Abrand walked to load the bases. Davis lined a single to right to score two. Booe doubled to left knocking in two more. However, the rally stopped there. The Chiefs crushed a three-run bomb in the sixth and despite getting runners in scoring position, the Cyclones fell short.