The 2024 Kewanee softball team finished with a conference record of 8-2 en route to earning the TRAC-East conference title. It’s the first time in 20 years that a Kewanee softball team has won the conference. [Photo courtesy of the Kewanee High School Athletic Department] 

It was a big week for the Kewanee softball team. They shut out Mendota on Monday, 18-0, and then won a hard-fought 4-2 game against Rock Island on Wednesday. 

The Boiler Girls capped off the regular season on Thursday with another win over Mendota, this time by a score of 14-3.

Kewanee ended the regular season on a hot streak, winning their last five games and finishing with a record of 15-10. In addition, the Boiler Girls won the TRAC-East conference with a record of 8-2.  

“Winning the conference for the first time in 20 years, I couldn’t be happier that the work this team has put in this season has paid off,” said Coach Daymon McDowell. 

“This season has been a rollercoaster ride. We started off slow, then won 9 out of ten, followed by a six game losing streak and then finishing strong, reeling off five wins in a row,” the coach added. 

“It was a great learning experience for our young players and a good season to go out on for our seniors.”

The Boiler Girls enter postseason play on Monday against Orion at 4:30 at Northeast Park in Kewanee. The two teams played earlier in the season and the Boiler Girls came out on the losing end of a 16-15 score. 

“Orion presented us with a great challenge the first time we played them, but we’re excited to get another crack at them,” said Daymon “We’re putting it all together at the right time and hopefully the scoreboard is in our favor this time,” he added. 

“We’re asking our fans to come out and support us on Monday and to wear orange, we want to pack the park and make it a sea of orange.”

Kalleigh Gale releases a pitch during Monday’s 18-0 shutout win at Mendota. Gale fanned seven batters in the 4-inning no-hitter. [Photo courtesy of Lisa Sieghartner]

Kewanee 18, Mendota 0

In Monday’s 4-inning (mercy rule) win against Mendota (2-13), the Boiler Girls used 12 hits and a strong pitching performance from Kalleigh Gale to get the 18-0 win. 

In just four innings in the circle, Gale fanned seven Mendota batters en route to the shutout win. In addition, the Kewanee defense played error-free ball, while Mendota committed eight errors in the lopsided loss. 

Kewanee had a 3-0 lead after the first inning.

Hope Peed hit a single and Hannah Tiska scored on the play. Lyric Duytschaver then hit a single, plating two (Peed and Cheyanne Rodgers). 

In the bottom of the first inning, Gale struck out two of three batters. 

After a quick two outs in the top of the second inning, the Boiler Girls went on to score seven runs and amassed a 10-0 lead. Gale and Pickering each hit doubles in the second inning. 

Scoring runs in the inning were Tiska, Mikayla Ouart, Peed, Cheyanne Rodgers, Lexi Dillender, Kieryn Abernathy and Duytschaver. 

The Kewanee defense held again in the second inning, getting a quick three up, three down to maintain a 10-0 lead. 

The Boiler Girls took advantage of several Mendota fielding errors in the third inning and tacked on seven more runs to take a lead of 17-0 lead. 

Scoring in the inning were Remy Hicks, Tiska, Gale, Rodgers, Peed, Abernathy and Pickering. Gale then struck out the side in the bottom of the third inning. 

In Kewanee’s final at-bat, Ouart grounded into a fielder’s choice and Alison Bartell scored to secure the 18-0 win. 

At the plate 

Duytschaver (4-4, 4 RBI, 1 run). Pickering (3-3, 1 double, 4 RBI, 1 run). Tiska (2-2, 3 runs, 2 RBI). Peed (1-2, 3 runs, 1 RBI, 1 BB). Gale (1-3, 1 double, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 run). Rodgers (2 BB, 3 runs). Bartell (1 BB, 1 run). Ouart (1 RBI, 1 run). Hicks (1-3, 1 run). Dillender (1 run). Nebinger (1 BB).

Hannah Tiska awaits the pitch during the 4-2 win over Rock Island on Wednesday. [Photo courtesy of Lisa Sieghartner]

Kewanee 4, Rock Island 2

The Boiler Girls traveled to Rock Island on Thursday to take on the 12-9 Rocks. Kewanee took a 2-0 lead at the top of the third inning and it was a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. 

Cheyanne Rodgers got the Kewanee offense started in the third inning. She reached first on an error. Hope Peed then hit a fly ball double to left field, advancing Rodgers to third on the play.

Lexi Dillender then hit a single, plating Peed and Rodgers and giving the Boiler Girls a 2-0 lead. 

The Kewanee defense held Rocky scoreless through the first three innings. It was a quick three up, three down in the first two innings. Ella Leahy  managed to get a single in the bottom of the third, but the Kewanee defense held.

The Rocks put a run on the board in the fourth inning, thanks to a double by Ella DeJonghe. Jozie Kerr scored on the play to cut the lead to one at 2-1.

Dillender provided some brief relief for Kewanee in the top of the fifth inning. The senior belted out a line drive double and Kieryn Abernathy scored on the play, extending the Kewanee to 3-1. 

Rock Island, however, answered with another run in the bottom of the fifth to close the gap,3-2. The Boiler Girl lead was threatened when DeJonghe hit a double in the sixth inning, but Kewanee sophomore ace, Kalleigh Gale, struck out two of four batters to neutralize the threat. 

The Boiler Girls added an insurance run in the seventh inning. Abernathy singled on a hard grounder to center field and Cheyanne Rodgers scored, giving Kewanee the 4-2 non-conference win. 

Gale went the distance and earned the win for Kewanee. In seven innings on the mound she fanned eight, surrendering six hits and two earned runs.

Lillian McDaniel suffered the loss for Rock Island. In five innings she struck out four and walked two, while giving up eight hits and three runs (two earned). 

At the plate 

Abernathy (2-4, 1 run, 1 RBI). Dillender (2-4, 1 double, 3 RBI). Peed (1-3, 1 double, 1 run). Gale (1-3, 1 BB). Rodgers (1-4, 2 runs). Pickering (1-3). Hicks (1-3). Tiska (1-4). Duytschaver (1 BB). 

Kewanee 14, Mendota 3

The Boiler Girls had a 6-3 lead at the top of the fourth inning. They added four runs in the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings to close out the regular season with a 14-3 conference win over Mendota. 

Freshman Lyric Duytschaver pitched five innings to get the win for Kewanee. She recorded five strikeouts and four walks, while surrendering four hits and three runs (one earned). 

Hope Peed, Duytschaver and Macee Pickering each recorded doubles in the win. 

At the plate 

Dillender (3-4, 4 RBI, 1 run, 1 BB). Duytschaver (2-2, 1 double, 3 runs, 2 RBI, 2 BB). Pickering (2-2, 1 double, 3 RBI, 1 BB). Peed (2-4, 1 double, 3 RBI, 2 runs). Abernathy (1-3, 3 runs, 1 RBI, 1 BB).Tiska (2-4, 1 run). Gale (1-2, 2 runs). Rodgers (2 runs, 1 BB). Bartell (1 BB). 

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