(RV) Avila Sweeps Tabor, Surpasses 20 Wins in 2024

HILLSBORO, Kan. – (RV) Avila softball (21-9, 8-0 KCAC) extended its all-time dominance of Tabor (8-14, 4-4 KCAC) and stayed unbeaten in league play in 2024, moving past the 20-win mark already with a pair of decisive wins on Saturday afternoon in Hillsboro.

The Eagles have quite simply dominated the Bluejays since the two squads became conference opponents in 2018-19, and, frankly, have consistently dominated KCAC opponents to begin the 2024 campaign: Avila wrapped game one on Saturday up in six innings and have now earned at least one run-rule win in three of their four conference doubleheaders so far this year, and they nearly had two on Saturday before Tabor scored a few runs in the fifth and sixth innings to force the teams to play the seventh, where Avila scored two more to put the finishing touches on their fourth KCAC doubleheader sweep in four attempts this year.

The Eagle offense certainly made the trip to Hillsboro in what was Avila's first conference series away from home this year. But the change of location mattered little in the end: Avila scored in double digits twice, totaling 21 runs on 26 hits, slugging a pair of home runs and swiping a total of 14 bases in the two contests. Last year, the Eagles won 16 conference games and 35 overall; this year, with at least six weeks left in the season, the team is already 8-0 in conference with 21 wins overall.

Avila struck early in game one on Saturday, scoring three runs in the top of the first to set the tone thanks to an RBI double from Brooke Belflower and a two-run home run from Montana Stangel. Some small ball and two more RBI doubles from Belflower later, and the Eagles were out to an 8-0 lead after four frames. The Bluejays finally got on the board in the fifth and sixth against McKayla Cotton, but Belflower capped off a career day with a two-run bomb in the sixth to ensure the Eagles kept their eight-run edge in a 10-2 run-rule win to start things off.

Cotton was excellent yet again, throwing all six innings and allowing two runs off seven hits, all but one of which was a single, with one walk against six strikeouts. It's her seventh complete-game of the campaign so far. Chelsea Kurtz recorded two hits, three steals and scored three runs, and Belflower had a perfect day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a homer and 5 RBI. All four of her hits drove in at least one run.

Tabor got on the board in the bottom of the first inning in game two to take their first lead of the game, but the Eagles quickly responded, building a four-run second capped by a two-run knock from Ka'Zem Wood to take a lead they would not relinquish. Katie Wentworth drove in runs in the third and the fifth in a career game, and the Eagles continued to bleed the Bluejays dry in the fifth with RBI singles from all of Kennedee Lara, Kurtz and Wood.

That put the Eagles up 9-1, the margin they would need for a second run-rule win, but the Bluejay offense came to life late, scoring twice in the fifth and in the sixth to extend the game into the seventh. With their lead trimmed down to 9-5, the Eagles put to bed any hopes of a Bluejay comeback with two runs in the seventh, driven in by Wood and Belflower. Madyson Withey recorded the final four outs out of the Eagle bullpen to wrap up the 11-5 win and another doubleheader sweep.

After Avila homered twice in game one, it was death by a thousand singles for the Bluejays in this second game – or, more correctly, 16 singles. All but one of Avila's 17 hits in the game went for only one base, but they helped add up to 11 runs and another comfortable win. Lara, Belflower, Kurtz and Wood all recorded two hits, and Wood drove in a total of four runs in a career game. Stephanie Hayes recorded three hits and scored twice in her return to the lineup, while Wentworth went a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs driven in and two runs scored in her most successful game of the season. Aarilynn Richardson earned the win with three scoreless innings of relief.

Up next, Avila was scheduled to travel to Winfield to face Southwestern on Tuesday, but those games have now been pushed back a day due to inclement weather. The Eagles and Moundbuilders will now face off in a doubleheader on Wednesday, March 27, in Winfield, with action beginning at 1 PM. As always, you can watch all the action live and for free on the KCAC Network.