Softball Recap: Clifton Central Turns Things Around After Road Loss

There's no place like home for Clifton Central, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Thursday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Illinois Lutheran Chargers a 14-0 shutout on Monday. The Comets might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven games by ten runs or more this season.

Clifton Central got a great performance from Sydney Jemar as she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched.

On the hitting side, Clifton Central let Rayven Perkins and Blair Bottorff run wild. Perkins scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3, while Bottorff scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2. That's the most hits Bottorff has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Lia Prairie, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.

Clifton Central kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post 11 or more hits.

Clifton Central pushed their record up to 9-6-1 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.3 runs over those games. As for Illinois Lutheran, their loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 4-3.

Clifton Central will have a chance to go back-to-back against the Chargers: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.