KANKAKEE, ILL. - Trying to squeeze two games in during a rough weather weekend, the Madison College softball team was able to notch a win over Kankakee Community College before Mother Nature cut down the second game on Sunday. The WolfPack used a pair of five-run innings to defeat the Cavaliers 12-4 in five innings for their second consecutive run-ruled decision. The all-time series now consists of five wins and no losses for the Pack since the 2019 season. 

Both teams were able to come out of the gates with a run scored in their respective first half innings. Sophomore Sammy Nelson reached on an error, and three batters later, scored from third during a productive ground out from starting pitcher Kiana Patterson. Back-to-back two-out singles in the bottom half against Patterson evened the score at 1-1. The Pack kept it going in the second Makenna Gish followed a KCC error with a single to center that scored Mackenna Schultz. 

The first big inning for Madison came in the third with five runs scoring on four hits, two errors, and a walk. Ellie Rademacher doubled in Briar Armatoski, and then scored on a passed ball. Paulson brought in two more runs as Sophie Rivera and Patterson raced in on a single to left. Schultz produced the final run of the frame as her ground ball through the left side was enough for Paulson to score from third.

An inning later, the Cavaliers committed an error on a sacrifice bunt from Patterson, and Rademacher, who had doubled to begin the inning, scored from second. After a passed ball and an error combined for a 9-1 lead, the Pack tacked on three more with a home run from Gish that cleared the center field fences. The three-run homer for Gish gives her a team-leading four bombs on the season.

Kankakee (23-15) did cut into the differential with two runs in the fourth and one more in the fifth, but it wasn't enough to prevent the WolfPack from maintained the eight-run margin needed for the run-ruled win in five innings.

Rademacher extended her hitting streak to five games with a 3 for 4 effort that give her nine hits in 14 at-bats for a .643 average during that span. The Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, product scored twice and drove in a run.

Gish, a former West Bend West HS athlete, set a season-high with four RBI, and scored one run with her two hits. And Paulson, a native of Monroe, Wisconsin, used her two hits to drive in two runs and score two more. 

With the win, Patterson becomes the tenth pitcher in program history with ten wins in a season, improving to 10-3 after working five innings and striking out one. She surrendered just two earned runs on eight hits and two walks.

Up Next:

Madison College (21-18) will close out the regular season with back-to-back home doubleheaders this week, starting Tuesday, May 2 against in-state and Region 4 rival Bryant & Stratton College (27-14). The Bobcats have won the last three meetings, however, the WolfPack still owns an 8-3 lead in the all-time series. First pitch at Robert D. Goodman Softball Field is set for 3:00 p.m., followed by an approximate 5:00 p.m. start for the nightcap.

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