Article and photos by T Ray Henry
The Marshall Lions softball squad took their 18-1 record over to the western environs of Clark County when they traveled to Fairview Park in Casey to take on the Illinois Coaches Association's top-ranked team in Class 1A, the Casey-Westfield High School Lady Warriors, in a Little Illini Conference game in front of a jam packed house filling up the bleachers and lining the field on both sides of the diamond. The game was also broadcast by the local radio station, giving this contest a state tournament championship game vibe.
Marshall, ranked #11 by the ICA in Class 2A, came in with a record of 18-1, while the 1A #1 ranked Lady Warriors came in with a record of 23-3.
In the early going, Marshall junior Kyla Gustafson went pitch for pitch against Casey-Westfield's ace Ava Goble, with Gustafson getting all the outs in the first two innings via the strikeout. Marshall threatened in the top of the first with runners on at first and second, but Goble, an all-state selection last year, got out of the inning without the Lions putting any runs on the scoreboard.
In the top of the third, the Lions broke the scoreless tie with two runs to take a 2-0 lead. Lilly Nickles led off the inning and quickly found herself down 0-2 on the count before battling back by fouling off pitch after pitch between taking offerings outside the strike zone. Nickles worked the count to full before fouling off a couple more pitches, then she took ball four low and outside for a walk, which rattled the all-state pitcher from the west side of the county. Lynn Welborn then stepped up to the plate and advanced Nickles to second on an infield grounder which could have gone either way with the call at first base. After Lauren English drew a walk to put Lions on at first and second with one out, McKenzie Davis sacrificed both runners up 60 feet with a nice bunt to the left side. With two outs in the inning, Marshall cleanup hitter Klaire York stepped up to bat and came through in a big way by driving an outside pitch down the right field line for a single to score Nickles and English with the first two runs of the game.
In the bottom of the fourth, Casey-Westfield cut the Lions' lead in half to make it 2-1, and after scoreless fifth and sixth innings, Marshall came up to bat in the top of the seventh holding a 2-1 lead with Lilly Nickles leading off. With the Lions deciding to play small ball to try and bring home an insurance run, Nickles dropped down a great bunt and beat the throw to first base for a single. Lynn Welborn then stepped up to the plate, and she dropped down a bunt to the left side for a single that advanced Nickles to second base. One out later, McKenzie Davis squared up and dropped a bunt down in front of home plate as Nickles sprinted towards third base and Welborn raced towards second. A throw to force Nickles out at third was late as Lilly slid head-first into the bag as the ball tipped off the fielder’s glove and sailed into foul territory in short left field. Nickles then jumped up to her feet and raced home. Lynn Welborn, who saw the play developing as she rounded second base, came flying around third and headed for home. With the throw coming into the plate, Casey-Westfield's catcher blocked Welborn’s path, but Welborn beat the throw and the road block at the plate to score Marshall's fourth run of the game.
In the home half of the seventh inning, Kyla Gustafson struck out the first batter, then she induced a pop out to Lynn Welborn at short for the second out, and finally Gustafson put an exclamation point on the big win by striking out the third batter as Marshall defeated Casey-Westfield by the score of 4-1.
Kyla Gustafson was magnificent in the circle, allowing just two hits, walking one, and striking out 11 Casey-Westfield batters who collectively had been averaging only 5 strikeouts per game as a team. Klaire York, Lilly Nickles, and Lauren English led the Lions at the plate with two hits apiece. York drove in two runs, while Nickles, who safely reached base in each of her 3 at-bats, scored twice. English, who reached base in 3 of her 4 plate appearances, scored a run. Lynn Welborn (run scored) and Ella Mattas also had a hit in the game.
The win marked the 100th career victory for Marshall head coach Ryan McGuire and Assistant head coach Abbi Lee. After the game, Coach McGuire said, “This game lived up to its billing, with two very solid teams going at one another from start to finish. We got some timely hitting and great base running to push across enough runs, and Kyla (Gustafson) raised her game to shut down the #1 team in 1A. We have two aces in the circle with Gus and Avery (Cornwell), and they have both been sensational this year.
“I got on them a little (after the Cumberland game) for our defensive lapses, but the girls responded and played lights out on defense today. I cannot remember as many high fly balls as I saw today, and our defense was very sound throughout. Klaire York hit a huge shot down the line the opposite way to get us out to an early lead, and after Casey trimmed the lead to one, we thought if we pushed another run across the board, we would have a little more breathing room coming down the stretch. Against a team where one pitch or one swing can tie it up, an insurance run was important. In the top of the seventh, we played small ball to manufacture the two runs with four straight bunts. Lilly Nickles put a lot of pressure on their defense when McKenzie Davis dropped her bunt down, and Casey rushed the throw to try to get the force out at third when Lilly surprised them with how fast she ran and dove for the bag. That one play led to two huge insurance runs, then Gus shut the door in the bottom of the seventh to close out the game.
“Getting to 100 wins is special, but it’s not about me. I don’t play. I don’t pitch, or play defense, or hit, or run the bases. I have been blessed with amazing athletes who have been playing softball in our community since they were attending South Elementary School. This is the culmination of a great youth softball program which developed these kids into the softball players they are today. They are a close group who want to achieve something special this season.
“The assistant coaches this program has had since I became the head coach are nothing short of awesome. Coach (Abbi) Lee has been here the whole time I’ve been here, so she shares in this milestone. We’ve had great coaches like Tammy Welborn and Miranda Mason, and going back to previous years, we’ve had Kyle Johnson and Gina Campbell coaching our kids up. I can’t do any of this without a great group of assistant coaches.
“The community support we saw today in Casey was remarkable, supportive, and very vocal. Our bench players were into the game and kept the players on the field motivated the entire game. I cannot stress how important it is to have teammates encouraging you throughout a game, not only when things are going well, but when we are facing times of adversity, too. This group of girls is very special.”
Marshall (19-1 on the season) plays their next game at home when Richland County's Olney Tigers come calling next Monday, May 4th at 4:30 PM. Make sure you come on out to the Marshall softball diamond to watch this special group of student athletes.
Klaire York drove in two runs in the top of the 3rd with a 2-out single to the opposite field to give Marshall the early lead against Casey-Westfield in their big win
Kyla Gustafson was simply dominant against Class 1A #1 Casey-Westfield as she allowed just two hits while striking out 11 during Marshall's 4-1 win
Lauren English had two hits and scored a run in Marshall's 4-1 win over Casey-Westfield
Marshall softball players and coaches mark the 100th career win for head coach Ryan McGuire after beating Casey-Westfield 4-1
