Belleville East Lancers (Belleville, IL) backers exited the stadium thrilled Friday as they saw their softball squad nip the host Columbia Eagles (Columbia, IL), 5-1 in a non-league challenge.

The Lancers now own a 9-4 record. They take the field next when they travel to Red Bud for a non-league challenge on Saturday, April 6. Belleville East will battle a Musketeers squad coming off a 15-0 non-league win over Dupo (Dupo, IL). The Musketeers record now stands at 7-4.

With the loss, Columbia falls to 9-4 on the campaign. The Eagles host New Athens (New Athens, IL) to battle the Yellow Jackets in a non-league challenge on Monday, April 8. The Yellow Jackets enter the challenge with a record of 4-11. New Athens won 17-0 in their recent non-league challenge against Grayville (Grayville, IL)