Carrollton Hawks Claim IHSA Class 1A State Softball Title With 10-0 Victory

PEORIA - Lauren Flowers scattered four hits and struck out six in the circle, while Megan Camden drove in three runs, and both Hannah Uhles and Daci Walls brought in two runs each, as Carrollton scored four times in the first, and went on to win the IHSA Class 1A state softball championship with a 10-0 win over LeRoy Saturday morning at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria.

The Hawks finished a near-perfect season with a 38-1 mark, losing only to Jersey 2-0 on May 15. The Panthers end their season at 35-6.

The Hawks got started in the opening inning, with Flowers doubling to center to get the inning started, going to third on a bunt single by Vanna Holmes, and scoring on a sacrifice fly by Uhles to right to put Carrollton ahead 1-0. Walls singled Holmes to third, and an RBI single by Hayden McMurtrie scored Holmes to make it 2-0. Brooklynn Eilerman doubled home Walls and McMurtrie to make it 4-9 after the first.

Carrollton added two more runs in the second, starting with a Flowers double to right, scoring from second on a second Holmes sacrifice fly to make it 5-0. Uhles then homered over the fence in center on a 2-0 pitch to make the score 6-0. In the third, Eilerman doubled to lead off the inning, stole third, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Camden to make it 7-0.

Meanwhile, Flowers dominated in the circle, scattering four hits in her five innings of work, only having trouble in the third, when two batters singled, but Flowers got a fly out to right to get out of the inning, retiring the side in the fifth to set up the final push.

Walls led off the fifth with a base hit, was singled to third one out later by Eilerman, with both scoring on a Camden double to make the score 9-0. One out later, Blake Driskill singled home Camden with the game-ending run as the game was called because of the 10-run rule, giving the Hawks the state championship 10-0.

Eilerman had three hits and two RBIs for Carrollton, while Uhles came up with two hits and two RBIs, both Flowers and Walls had two hits each, Camden had a hit and three RBIs, and Holmes, McMurtrie, and Driskill all had a hit and RBI apiece.

Flowers again went all the way in the circle, scattering four hits, walking none, and struck out six. Her final record is 20-0 inside the circle.

In the third place game, Casey-Westfield defeated Dakota 10-0. The Warriors end the season at 35-4, while the Indians conclude their campaign 24-7.

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