Lenihan, Bires Both Brilliant In Circle, But Gillespie Plates Single Runs In Third And Fifth To Win IHSA Class 2A Softball Regional Over Marquette 2-0

ALTON - Both Marquette Catholic's Lauren Lenihan and Gillespie's Sydney Bires pitched great games, but the Miners were able to push across single runs in the third and fifth innings to take a 2-0 win over the Explorers in an IHSA Class 2A softball regional final at Gordon Moore Park Saturday morning.

The Explorers were held to four hits in the game while Gillespie scored on an error in the third and added an insurance run in the fifth on an RBI single for the only runs of the game.

Marquette did have an opportunity in the sixth on Abby Sullivan's one-out double, but Bires got a fly out to left and a strikeout to end the threat.

Sullivan, Abigail Porter, Jalynn Dickson and Makensie Card had the hits on the day for the Explorers, while Regan Bussmann had three hits for Gillespie, Shelby Taylor had a hit and the only RBI of the game and Hannah Barrett also had a hit.

Both Lenihan and Bires went all the way in the circle, with Lenihan fanning nine and Bires striking out seven.

Gillespie is now 22-6 and advance to the sectional, where they will play Nashville, who defeated Columbia on Friday 15-0 in their regional final, on Tuesday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. at Gillespie's home field. The Explorers' conclude their season at 20-6.

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