ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO/WQRF) — It’s a new year and a new level of play, but the Rock Valley College softball program is about to enjoy the same familiar ending to its season. The Golden Eagles will compete in the National Tournament.
They will head to Spartanburg, South Carolina next week to compete in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament. The past nine years the Golden Eagles competed at the Division III National Tournament winning the last eight of them.
They earned their first D-II National appearance Tuesday afternoon by clobbering Madison College 14-1 in the Region IV Championship game at RVC.
The Golden Eagles jumped on the Wolfpack for three runs in the botton of the first inning. Two runs scored on a home run by freshman Sam Tourtillott of Dixon. Tourtillott followd up with another two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning when the Golden Eagles scored eight times in all for an 11-0 lead.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the sixth inning when Felicia Teubert belted another no-doubt home run giving RVC a 14-0 lead.
Madison College got on the board with its only run in the top of the seventh before the celebration broke out for RVC when the final out was made.
Madison Carlson, RVC’s starting pitcher, pitched five shutout innings. Two more RVC pitchers finished up.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Tourtillott of the big win and her two home runs. “It all started with like the top of our lineup and scoring. So when I got up, I was more relaxed and just knew I could rely on my teammates.
Madison is a really good school,” said RVC shortstop Jenna Turner. “They’re a really good program. We respect them a lot, and we just had to go in with a lot of confidence from this past weekend and just go in and have fun.”
Turner says it’s amazing after going to Nationals in D-III to now make that same jump in D-II.
“Yeah, it’s super awesome. This program means everything to me. I wish I could stay here forever.”
The National Tournament will start next Tuesday, May 23.
