OGLESBY, ILL. - The Madison College softball team received some very good pitching Friday at Illinois Valley Community College, but only managed to earn a split of their doubleheader. After losing the opener by a 6-4 final to the Eagles, the WolfPack rebounded for an 8-4 victory that ended a season-long three-game losing streak.

Game #1: Illinois Valley Community College 6, Madison College 4

A three-run lead failed to hold up for Madison College as errors by the visitors and timely hitting by the home team keyed a come-from-behind win for Illinois Valley Community College. A second inning run put the WolfPack on the board first. Freshman Riley Landenberger led off the inning with a single to right, and with two outs in the inning, was able to race in from third on a wild pitch. An inning later the 'Pack made it a 3-0 lead. Freshman Ashley Burg reached on an infield single to open the inning, and Hannah Jensen's double to left scored Burg from first. Two batters later Ashley Kniesel single in Jensen to complete two run inning, though the WolfPack did leave two runners on.

The game turned in the fourth when Madison College committed two errors within the first three batters, and after a single and a triple, the Eagles owned a 4-3 advantage. IVCC tacked on another run in the fifth, and again, an error was at the center of it.

The WolfPack pulled back within one run in the sixth when Ashley Burg drove home Brenna Seeber, but that would be it for the visitors offensively. After the Eagles added an insurance run in the home half, Madison College managed just one hit in the seventh.

Ashley Burg, Ashley Kniesel, and Brenna Seeber all went 3-for-4 to lead the WolfPack. Burg, a native of Slinger, Wisconsin, matched Hannah Jensen with one run scored and one batted in. The WolfPack outhit the Eagles 14-4 in a losing effort.

Hannah Jensen (2-4) suffered her fourth loss despite surrendering just a single earned run. The Watertown, Wisconsin, native struck out five, allowed four hits, and issued two walks.

Game #2: Madison College 8, Illinois Valley Community College 4

A four-run sixth inning provided breathing room after a back-and-forth affair as Madison College ended a three-game losing streak with a win in the nightcap. Hannah Jensen got it going early with an RBI single that scored Ashley Burg, who also singled, as the visitors quickly assumed a 1-0 lead in the first. The lead was short-lived as Illinois Valley (5-3) used a walk, a triple, and a single to net two runs and their first lead of the game.

The WolfPack regained the advantage in the third. Burg and Jensen reached on successive singles to right, and both were able to score when Kniesel doubled deep to left. 

It remained 3-2 until the bottom of the fifth when a pair of doubles highlighted a two-run inning for the Eagles, who now led by a 4-3 differential.

The game completely changed in the visitors half of the sixth when Madison College ran off five straight singles to score three runs. A sixth single with two outs by pinch hitter Lindsey Bollig drove in the inning's fourth run for a 7-4 lead. Breanna Bollig made it 8-4 in the seventh with an RBI single that plated fellow second year Bailey Kratt to solidify the win that also snapped a three-game losing streak against the Eagles, who own a 5-4 lead in the head-to-head series.

Ashley Burg capped her monster day with a career-high four hits in five at bats, scoring a team-best three runs and driving in two. For the day, Burg had seven hits, four runs, and three RBI as she now leads the team in hits and runs scored on the season. Hannah Jensen had three hits and joined Burg and Ashley Kniesel for team-high honors with two runs batted in.

Freshman Riley Landenberger (5-0) continued her impressive collegiate start with her fifth straight win in eight appearances. The Roscoe, Illinois, native allowed four runs on seven hits in a complete-game effort. Landenberger had two strikeouts and one walk.

Madison College (13-8/4-2) was scheduled to travel to Black Hawk College in Moline, Illinois, on Saturday, March 25, but were rained out. That doubleheader has been rescheduled for Sunday, April 2 at noon and 3:00 p.m. Prior to that, the WolfPack will christen their new home, the Robert D. Goodman Softball Field, with their home opener against in-state rival Milwaukee Area Technical College (0-6/0-6). The two teams met once at the N4C Dome Jamboree earlier this month, a game the 'Pack won 13-0 in five innings. The first pitch ever thrown in the new facility is scheduled for 3:00 p.m., with game two to begin at approximately 5:00 p.m. Madison College is also slated to host Kirkwood (IA) Community College for a pair of games on Friday.

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