Article and photos by T Ray Henry
On Friday night, April 10th and Saturday, April 11th, the Marshall High School softball team traveled to Terre Haute's Miss Softball America Complex and Terre Haute South Vigo High School to play in the 2026 Lady Braves Bash. The tournament was comprised of 16 high schools from Indiana and Illinois, with the field was split into two 8-team divisions. Each team would play three round-robin games within their pool, then based upon records in the round-robin portion, teams would play one final crossover game for placement in the tournament.
On Friday evening, the Lions played their first game of the tournament against Martinsville High School, a school in central Indiana with an enrollment of 1430 students. In the early going, Marshall could only generate four base hits over the first four innings of play. The Artesians scored single runs in the bottom of the first, second, and third innings to take an early 3-0 lead.
In the top half of the fifth, Marshall's Lilly Nickles led off the inning by driving a pitch to the gap in right center field that went all the way to the fence for a stand-up double. Nickles' smash began a string of nine straight hits by the Lions, and before the Artesians knew what hit them, figuratively and literally, the Lions turned a 3-0 deficit into a 7-3 lead in that half inning of play.
Nickles' double was followed by singles by Lynn Welborn, Lauren English, and McKenzie Davis before Avery Cornwell drove a deep drive to the fence in center field which was called a ground-rule double. Successive singles by Klaire York, Kyla Gustafson, Ella Mattas, and Olivia Strohm followed, and by the time the dust settled, Marshall scored 7 runs on 9 hits while batting around the order for the first time this season while chasing the opposing pitcher.
From that point on, Martinsville, which used all three of their pitchers in the contest, could only generate a scoring threat in the bottom of the seventh inning against Marshall's Kyla Gustafson, who was seeking to close the door on a complete game win with the Lions ahead 7-3. With nobody out in the inning, the Artesians loaded up the bases and brought the tying run up to the plate in the person of power hitter Mylee Bunton, On a 2-0 count, Bunton hit a line drive to center field. Marshall's Avery Cornwell ran in and snagged the ball for the first out, then she threw the ball to Lynn Welborn at second base to double up the runner for the second out. Welborn then spun and threw a laser missile to home plate where Klaire York caught the ball and did a sweeping tag on the runner who tagged up from third for the third and final out. In one amazing play, Marshall turned in a scintillating triple play to end the ballgame and send the Lions faithful into gleeful celebration.
Kyla Gustafson pitched for the Lions, and she kept the Martinsville hitters at bay as Marshall kept searching for a way before they finally strung together big hit after big hit to overtake the pesky Artesian squad. Gustafson pitched 7 innings, giving up 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits while striking out 12 to earn the complete game win.
At the dish, McKenzie Davis broke out in a big way against Martinsville, going 4 for 4 on the night, scoring one run while driving in another. Lynn Welborn (double, single, stolen base, run scored), Klaire York (single, single, 2 RBI), and Ella Mattas (single, single, run scored and a walk) each had two hits. Lauren English (single, walk, run scored), Avery Cornwell (double, 2 RBI, run scored), Kyla Gustafson (single), Olivia Strohm (single, RBI), and Lilly Nickles (double, run scored) also garnered base hits.
The next morning, Marshall met the host school Terre Haute South on their home softball diamond. Avery Cornwell got the start for Marshall in the circle, and she pitched a great game against the Lady Braves, going 7 innings, allowing just 2 earned runs while striking out 6 in the Lions' 12-5 victory.
Marshall jumped ahead in the bottom of the first inning when their table setters, Lynn Welborn and Lauren English, ripped back-to-back triples, and both scored for the Lions to lead 2-0 after one. After South tied the game at 2 in the top of the third, Marshall broke out ahead in the bottom of the inning by scoring six runs to take a commanding 8-2 lead as the Lions once again batted around the order just as they had done the previous night. Lynn Welborn hit a double and a single in the same inning to highlight the scoring barrage.
South scored three runs in the top of the fourth to close the deficit to 8-5, but Marshall scored one run in the 4th, two in the fifth, and one more in the sixth to lead 12-5. In the top of the 7th, South went down without threatening on a pop fly to Lions second baseman Ella Mattas followed by two fly balls caught by center fielder Lauren English to end the game with Marshall coming out on top by the score of 12-5.
The defensive highlight of the game came when a South batter lofted a fly ball into short left field in the top of the sixth inning. Marshall left fielder Lilly Nickles raced in and made a diving catch as she crashed to the ground while holding onto the ball.
Lynn Welborn led the Lions with 3 hits in 4 at-bats, scoring 3 runs, stealing a base, and driving in a run. Lauren English led the team with 3 runs batted in to go along with 2 hits, 2 stolen bases, and a run scored. Kyla Gustafson had 2 hits, scored 2 runs, and drove in 2 more. With the win over South, Marshall ran their season record to 9-0, their best start in decades.
In the second game of the day for the Lions, their opponent was the Edgewood High School Mustangs from Elletsville, Indiana. The Mustangs are an annual regional and sectional champion in Indiana Class 3A softball, and they were led by senior starter Ally Bland, who is signed to play NAIA Division 1 softball at Taylor University next year. Pitted against Bland was Marshall's Kyla Gustafson, who matched Bland pitch for pitch the entire ballgame, which was scoreless going into extra innings. Marshall only generated five hits in the game (2 by Lynn Welborn, 2 by Klaire York, and 1 by Lilly Nickles). Edgewood broke the scoreless tie in the top of the 9th when the Mustangs brought in 2 runs. The Lions had the tying runs on base in the bottom half of the inning, but they couldn't push them across to score. The game ended with Marshall falling for the first time this season after 9 consecutive wins by the score of 2-0.
After waiting a long time for other games in the tournament to be completed at the Miss Softball America complex, Marshall was paired in their final game of the tournament against Northview High School from Brazil, Indiana. If facing an NAIA D-1 pitcher in their previous game was a tall task, the Lions were looking down the barrel of Northview southpaw ace Maggie Kraus with third place in the division on the line. Kraus is already signed to play for the University of Tennessee, an SEC powerhouse, and in her three prior appearances this season, Kraus carried an ERA of 0.78 with 56 strikeouts in only 18 innings of work. Opponents were batting a meek .063 against her (with an on-base percentage of .078). To say the Lions went from the frying pan into the fire was an understatement.
The loss to Edgewood seemed to relax the squad without the pressure of keeping an undefeated season going, however. In the top of the first, Northview got on the scoreboard with a run to take an early 1-0 lead. The Lady Knights’ faithful in attendance were under the impression that a 1-0 score would hold up with their ace in the circle. In the bottom of the first, Marshall's Lynn Welborn led off by taking the first pitch to time the lefty's fastball. On the second pitch, Welborn smashed the ball like a rocket departing the atmosphere for a huge home run which stunned the team from Brazil. The blast seemed to rattle their all-state pitcher, for when Lauren English came up to bat next, she dropped a bunt down and beat it out for a single. McKenzie Davis came to bat next and hit a single to right field which advanced English to third base, still with nobody out in the inning. Both English and Davis would later come in to score on a hit by Ella Mattas to make the score 3-1 Marshall after one inning of play.
With Avery Cornwell mowing down Northview batters with solid defense behind her, the Lions kept the pressure on the Knights by playing small ball and making smart decisions at the plate. In the bottom of the second, Lilly Nickles ripped a triple to the wall and came home to score when Lynn Welborn followed with a single. Lauren English then came up and dropped down another perfect bunt for a single. With runners on at first and second, McKenzie Davis sacrificed both Welborn and English up 60 feet, and on the next pitching sequence, Welborn came in to score on a passed ball to make it 5-1 in favor of the Lions after 2 innings.
In the bottom of the fourth, a triple by Lynn Welborn to lead off the inning was followed by a bunt for a single by Lauren English to bring Welborn home. Doubles by Avery Cornwell and Ella Mattas, followed by singles by Kyla Gustafson and Caitlyn Hillard brought home 4 runs in the inning for Marshall to take a 9-1 lead after four and end Kraus’ day.
After the Lady Knights scored twice in the top of the fifth to make it 9-3, Marshall scored once in the bottom half of the inning when Lauren English singled, made it all the way around to third on McKenzie Davis' at-bat, and then she came home to score when Avery Cornwell reached base. Going to the top of the 6th, Marshall now led 10-3.
With Avery Cornwell keeping the Northview batters off the base paths, the game went to the bottom of the sixth inning with the Lions needing 3 runs to end the game via the run rule. Ella Mattas led off the inning by smacking a double down the third base line. After she stole third base and Caitlyn Hilliard walked, Mattas came home to score on a single by Lilly Nickles. Later in the inning after Lynn Welborn reached base, Lauren English was hit by a pitch before McKenzie Davis ended the ballgame with a bases clearing double to score Lilly Nickles, Lynn Welborn, and Lauren English to make the final score 14-3. With the win, Marshall finished in third place in their division by going 3-1 for the tournament. The Lions’ only defeat was an extra-innings pitchers duel to Edgewood, who would go on to win the division championship by defeating Bloomfield 9-3.
Avery Cornwell pitched a marvelous game for Marshall against the Lady Knights, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits while striking out 4. Every Marshall player in the batting order had at least one hit, with Lynn Welborn, Lauren English, and Ella Mattas each having three. McKenzie Davis and Lilly Nickles each had two hits.
With a very successful tournament behind them, Marshall (10-1) now opens conference play Monday afternoon when they travel to Robinson to take on the Lady Maroons. After the tournament, Marshall head coach Ryan McGuire said, “We had as good a tournament as we could have hoped for. Even in the game we came up short against Edgewood, we played really well. With a break here or there, we would have won the game in 7 innings, but that’s why we play great teams like Edgewood – to prepare for our conference season and the postseason. Our hitting the entire weekend was solid but for one game against a D-1 pitcher. In the next game against another D-1 pitcher, our players were more relaxed and focused without an undefeated season hanging over their heads. Lynn Welborn’s bomb in her first at-bat set the tone, and then Lauren English and McKenzie Davis both got on with singles – I knew our kids were going to hit the ball well.
The highlight of Friday night’s game was obviously the triple play to end the game, but I’m more proud of how they fought back and found a way to win battles when we finally got base hits in bunches and scored 7 runs in one inning. Our defense was better this weekend than it had been thus far, with highlight reel plays on Friday night (Lynn Welborn jumping high and stretching far for a line drive and the triple play, Lilly Nickles with a diving catch against South Saturday morning, and Lauren English racing into foul territory and making a great sliding catch on a foul ball against Edgewood – all those plays really got our side going.
Avery (Cornwell) and Gus (Kyla Gustafson) both pitched fantastic throughout the weekend. With us having two aces in the circle, I have to make sure they don’t get worn out with so many games we have bunched together, and with rainouts always a possibility in eastern Illinois in April and May, managing their workloads will be an important factor. I really like our chances with either of them pitching for us, and with our hitting now coming around, I am looking forward to beginning conference play. We’re on to Robinson (Monday), and we’re expecting a battle like we always have against them. Tuesday we go to Kansas to play Tri-County, then on Thursday we’re home for our conference home opener against Paris. This week will determine how we begin in the conference, which is one of the toughest, if not the toughest, conference in the state of Illinois.”
Lilly Nickles makes a diving catch of a ball against Terre Haute South
Lauren English (3) makes a great catch against Edgewood at the Lady Braves Bash
Kyla Gustasfson went the distance against Martinsville (IN), giving up 2 earned runs on 6 hits while striking out 12 in the big win for Marshall at the Lady Braves Bash
Lilly Nickles' double to lead off the top of the fifth opened the floodgates as Marshall scored 7 runs on 9 hits in the inning to turn a 3-0 deficit into a 7-3 lead that held up for the win
Avery Cornwell (17) shut down the Northview bats for Marshall to bring home third place in their division at the Lady Braves Bash
Lynn Welborn led off the third place game vs Northview by smashing a monsterous home run to propel Marshall to a 14-3 win
McKenzie Davis rose to the occasion, going 4 for 4 against Martinsville (IN) in the opening game of the Lady Braves Bash
