Maroons stay perfect with four-inning rout over Peoria Lions

Champaign Central's first-inning outburst rocks host Peoria in conference softball win.

by Ben Robertson
The Sentinel

PEORIA — Champaign Central kept its unbeaten streak alive on Saturday afternoon, overpowering host Peoria 21-0 in a four-inning victory to improve to 8-0 on the season.

The Maroons set the tone early, scoring 10 runs in the opening frame and piling on six more in the second before closing out their scoring with five in the third. Central tallied 19 hits and 16 RBIs in the win, while eight players combined for eight stolen bases.

Senior shortstop Kaitlyn Helm led the offensive effort with a perfect 4-for-4 day at the plate, recording two triples and driving in multiple runs. Helm also crossed the plate four times.

Molly Kloeppel delivered a standout performance, driving in four runs on three hits, including a triple in the first inning and a two-run home run to center in the third. Kloeppel also tripled during the opening frame, contributing to the Maroons' early scoring burst.

Grace Bandy added a triple and a double, scoring multiple runs, while Maisie Bowers went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs. Bowers also earned the win in the circle, tossing three hitless innings and striking out five. Peoria was held without a hit across the abbreviated contest.

The Maroons’ first-inning outburst featured extra-base hits from Bandy, Helm, and Kloeppel, a walk drawn by Mya de la Cruz to bring in a run, and an RBI double from Bandy in her second at-bat of the inning. Central continued its production in the second inning with RBIs from Jaila Davis, Kennedy Hedrick, Helm, and Bowers.

Central sealed the win in the third with a six-hit inning, highlighted by Kloeppel’s homer and Bowers’ two-run double.

Champaign Central returns to action on Monday at Mattoon against the Green Wave to extend its perfect start to 9-0.

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