Raylee Boles Collected 100th Career Strikeout
The Eureka Tornado softball team came away with a pair of road wins Thursday, May 15, defeating Central of Burden 14-7 in Game 1 and 11-9 in Game 2.
Freshman Arabella Shepherd provided a highlight in the opener, blasting her second home run of the season as part of a dominant Eureka offensive performance. Elle Coulter led the way at the plate, going 4-for-5 with five RBIs, while Madelyn Miller and Shepherd also tallied four hits each. The Tornadoes exploded for seven runs in the third inning, including Shepherd’s two-run homer and RBI hits from Trinity Samuels and Elyssa Wood.
Junior Raylee Boles pitched all seven innings in Game 1, allowing five earned runs on seven hits while striking out four.
In Game 2, Eureka stayed hot offensively with 13 hits. Coulter continued her strong day, going 3-for-4. Boles, Cheyenne Gardner, Laynie Winfrey, and Coulter each drove in a run. Samuels stole two bases, and Eureka turned a double play to help secure the win.
Boles also reached a career milestone in the second game, recording her 100th career strikeout while fanning eight over seven innings.
Against Fredonia
The Tornadoes traveled to Fredonia on Monday for a high-scoring doubleheader, falling in game 1, 7-22, before bouncing back to claim a 27-17 victory in game 2. Eureka struggled to contain Fredonia’s offense in the opener, falling 7-22.
The Tornadoes rallied for five runs in the fifth, sparked by key hits from Samuels, Keira Crisswell, Miller, and Coulter. Miller went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, while Samuels and Coulter also collected two hits each.
Boles pitched four innings for Eureka, allowing 11 runs on eight hits with four strikeouts.
In game 2, Eureka exploded for 27 runs on nine hits and 24 walks to outlast Fredonia, 2717. Samuels drove in four runs, including a bases- clearing triple in an 11-run third inning. She also drew a bases-loaded walk in the fifth.
Miley Baumgartel drew four walks, while Crisswell stole three bases. Eureka swiped 12 bags total and turned a key double play.
Despite allowing 10 runs in the second inning, the Tornadoes stormed back and sealed the win with an eight-run fifth inning fueled mostly by plate discipline and aggressive base running.
Regional Action
Eureka (#5, 7/9) was slated to face Southern Lyon County (#4, 10-12) in the opening round of the Rosalia-Flinthills 2-1A Regionals on Monday, May 19. The winner will advance to semifinal action on Tuesday, May 20, at 2 p.m. The championship game was slated to be held later in the evening on May 20. (Courtesy photo)
