The Taylorville Varsity Tornadoes exploded for nine runs in the opening inning and then held off a furious rally from the Auburn Varsity Trojans to escape with an 11-10 victory in a wild non-conference battle.
Taylorville wasted no time taking control. After RBI hits from Grace Rogers, Olivia LeVault, Hope Kietzman, and Carsen Corzine, the Tornadoes piled up nine first-inning runs to put Auburn in an early hole. Rogers delivered one of the biggest swings of the frame with a two-run double, while Corzine added a two-run single.
Auburn refused to quit.
The Trojans chipped away throughout the night behind strong offensive performances from Madison Hackett, Emmie Womble, and Skylar Meats. Womble drove in Auburn’s first run with an RBI single in the second inning before Auburn added two more in the frame to cut the deficit to 9-3.
Taylorville answered with another run in the second and added insurance in the sixth after a wild pitch brought home Nevaeh Wiley for an 11-8 lead.
That extra run proved crucial.
In the seventh inning, Auburn mounted one final push. Amelia Hayes delivered an RBI single to score Kendall Lynch, and later Skylar Meats lifted a sacrifice fly to center that brought Auburn within one run at 11-10. With the tying run still on base, Olivia LeVault secured the final out in center field to preserve the Tornadoes victory.
Taylorville finished with 14 hits in the win. Carsen Corzine led the offense by going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Grace Rogers added two hits and two RBIs, while Peyton DeMichael, Olivia LeVault, Ella Reiss, and Hope Kietzman all collected multi-hit games.
Auburn matched the offensive pressure with 13 hits of its own. Madison Hackett went 3-for-4 with a double and RBI, while Emmie Womble also collected three hits. Skylar Meats added two hits and three RBIs in the loss.
Top Performers
Taylorville
- Carsen Corzine: 3-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 runs
- Grace Rogers: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, double
- Olivia LeVault: 2-for-3, 2 runs
- Hope Kietzman: 1-for-2, 2 RBI
- Peyton DeMichael: Winning pitcher
Auburn
- Madison Hackett: 3-for-4, double, RBI
- Emmie Womble: 3-for-4, RBI
- Skylar Meats: 2-for-5, 3 RBI
- Addi Jones: 2 runs scored