SOFTBALL: Lady Indians handle Sparta to end skid

Du Quoin busted out of their recent offensive slump with eight runs on eleven hits while starting pitcher Marisa Ferguson fanned nine and allowed just two earned runs in the circle as the Lady Indians knocked off Sparta 8-4 to end their three-game conference losing streak.

Ferguson, who took a tough-luck 1-0 loss at home against Pinckneyville on Monday, continued her recent string of solid performances on the rubber, giving up only six hits and a walk to the Lady Bulldogs.

"Again Ferguson threw well and we had some timely hits today," said DHS head coach Jason James. "We still need to learn how to make adjustments at the plate and we will continue to work on that."

Du Quoin went up 1-0 after Jordyn Bullar (HBP) scored when Hannah Marek grounded into a double play in the top of the second inning, then got an RBI double from Amanda Atteberry in the third to bring in Amber Williams (walk) for a 2-1 lead.

The Lady Indians kept tacking on runs in the fourth when Alaina Caldwell (RBI single), Timbra Mansfield (single) and Mackenzie Jackson (two-run double) each had hits in a three-run inning for DHS, which held a 5-2 advantage until the bottom of the fifth.

That's when the Lady Bulldogs made it close with a pair of hits and took advantage of a Du Quoin error to close the gap to 5-4, only for the Lady Indians to extend their lead once again in the bottom of the inning on RBI singles from Caldwell and Marek, who later scored on a wild pitch for the eighth run of the day for DHS.

Jackson (2-4, 2 RBI, 2B), Atteberry (1-4, RBI, 2B), Caldwell (2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI), Marek (2-4, R, RBI), Mansfield (3-4, R) and Afton Robinson (1-3, HBP) had hits for Du Quoin.

The Lady Indians (10-11, 2-4) will try to get back to the .500 mark on Wednesday at home against Steeleville.