(Sugar Grove, IL.) - Rock Valley College, the top NJCAA Division III team in the country, lived up to the hype as they routed Waubonsee Community College 10-3 and 10-2 in five innings. The highly touted Eagles (21-9) rocked the Chiefs (10-8) by slugging six home runs on the day. Rock Valley, which has won the National Championship the last five years, currently leads all NJCAA Division III teams in home runs, triples, doubles, hits, runs scored, runs batted in and walks drawn.
Game one was scoreless heading into the top of the third when Rock Valley's potent offense erupted for seven runs. A three-run homer to straight away center field by Eagles' first baseman Megan Johnson highlighted the big inning. The next batter, third baseman Paige Webster, then drilled a solo shot to nearly the exact same spot as Rock Valley took control of the game. It was 8-0 in the bottom of the fifth when Waubonsee's Autumn Sullivan got the Chiefs on the board with a home run of her own, a two-run shot to left center. Sullivan also drove home the Chiefs' third run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh to score Alyssa Eby, who finished the game 3 for 4 with a double and two runs scored. Katie Beebe took the pitching loss, giving up seven runs and nine hits over three innings.
Rock Valley's potent offense was again on display in the second game. The Eagles scored three times in the top of the first with the aide of three Waubonsee errors. The Chiefs got two of those runs back on a two-run double to center by Jessica Wilson in the bottom half of the frame to make it 3-2. But that is as close as the Chiefs would get as Rock Valley's offense erupted again in the third inning. Johnson led off the inning with her nation-leading 10th home run to straight away center field. Webster followed with her seventh homer of the season to give the Eagles a 5-2 lead. Emily Perkins then drilled a third straight home run to knock Chiefs' pitcher Katy Shawke out of the game. After an infield single, Alleigha Burau smacked the fourth home run in five batters to suddenly make it a 9-2 game. Burau's shot to left center field was the Eagles' 26th round-tripper of the season, more than twice that of Herkimer (NY) Community College's 12 home runs, the next highest team in that category among Division III squads. Shawke took her first pitching loss, moving her record to 2-1 on the season. Eby and Maddie Kawall each registered a pair of hits to lead the Chiefs offense.
Waubonsee is one the road for the next week, playing doubleheaders at McHenry County (March 28), Triton (March 30), Black Hawk (March 31) and Lake County (April 2). The Chiefs return home on Thursday, April 4 when they host Elgin Community College in an Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference twinbill beginning at 3:00 p.m.