Edwardsville's softball team has few weaknesses, that much is known.
They can beat you in so many different ways.
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Take the combination of Jordan Corby and Rachel Anderson, for instance.
The second baseman and center fielder had pretty good days for the Tigers, going a combined 7-for-8 with six runs scored, two RBIs and nine total bases as EHS eliminated Belleville East 10-2 in the IHSA Class 4A Normal West Sectional semifinals at the Collinsville American Legion Sports Complex.
The win put the Tigers into Saturday's sectional final against Normal Community, who ousted East Moline United 2-1 in Normal, at 11 a.m. Saturday, with a trip to the Illinois State Supersectional against the Joliet Central Sectional winner on the line.
What Anderson and Corby did spread to the rest of the Tigers; they pounded out 13 hits total in the win and knocked out Lancer ace Angela Vanderplyum after the fifth inning.
“Hitting's contagious,” Anderson said. “Everyone contributed today and we were ready to go.”
“What's really good about this team is that anyone can step up and make a contribution,” Corby said.
And it was the Tigers' approach that make their coach, Lori Blade, happy. “I really liked our approach yesterday (when the Tigers downed Alton in the Alton Regional final) and today,” Blade said. “We knew it was going to be important to get some runs early.”
Two of those runs came in the bottom of the first, when Corby stroked the first of her two doubles and went home on a Anderson single; Anderson then stole second and went to third on a wild pitch, putting two on following a Kallen Loveless walk.
Hayli Green then fouled out to Lancer first baseman Annie Eversman, who caught the ball at the fence in front of the Tiger dugout. But catcher Alex Boze also gave chase, and when Eversman caught the ball, an alert Anderson flew home with the second run of the inning.
“That was a huge play by Rachel,” Blade said. “She's certainly quick enough to do something like that.”
From there, EHS settled into the game, with Loveless making some big pitches and getting big plays from the defense behind her; she ended up with only four strikeouts but to Blade, she doesn't need to strike out hitters. “Ari (Arnold) came up with some big plays on defense and Jordan was great,” Blade said. “Jordan's two double plays really gave us a lift.”
Edwardsville's third run came in the third when Corby doubled and Green stroked a two-out RBI double to bring in Corby. Then came the fifth inning, when Corby and Anderson singled and Loveless reached on a fielder's choice, with Corby safe at third, to load up the bases. Green hit a two-run single and doubles by Torrie Kruse, Allison Loehr and Megan Radae put EHS up 8-0, essentially putting the game out of reach.
The Lancers, who were eliminated with a scored twice in the sixth thanks to a RBI triple from Tawnee Kramer and a Boze RBI single, but the Tigers scored twice in the bottom of the frame off a Anderson RBI single and a Loveless grounder to short.
Normal Community is next for the 28-4 Tigers, and Blade knows her team will be ready. “There's no surprises against Normal,” Blade said. “It'll come down to the same thing as every game, executing.”
