Blackburn Softball Opens Season With Split

CARLINVILLE, IL – The Blackburn College Softball team opened the 2026 campaign by splitting their home doubleheader with Monmouth College in two offensive slugfests. The Scots captured the first game 14-9 before the Beavers answered with a 14-11 win in game two.

Junior Kenadee Frey and freshman Kharma Giles led the offense with two hits, two home runs and five runs batted in. Giles added two doubles while Frey had one.

Senior Kailynn Kruep added five hits with two doubles and a home run, and finished with three RBI's. Freshman Addison Ruyle and sophomore Mailee Schoen also added three RBI's.

Giles also led the way with five runs scored. Kruep had four and Frey chipped in with three. Junior Sierra Hiser also scored three runs.

Blackburn scored first with two runs in the first inning of the opener. Schoen singled to score senior Breana Allen, then senior Caroline Gibson singled to score Kruep, putting the Beavers ahead 2-0. Unfortunately the Scots answered with 10 runs over the next few innings to lead 10-2 heading into the bottom of the fourth.

Schoen helped the Beavers get on the board again with another single to score Allen. In the sixth, Hiser scored on a passed ball and Kruep scored on a Schoen sacrifice fly. With two on, Frey hit her first home run of the season to narrow it to a 10-8 Monmouth lead.

The Scots responded with four runs in the seventh. Blackburn's comeback effort started with a run from senior Brianna Melchor off a sacrifice fly from Kruep, but it wouldn't be enough as Monmouth captured the 14-9 victory.

In the nightcap, the Scots struck first with a run in the first inning but the Beavers responded with eight runs. Kruep doubled in the first to score freshman Alexis Weber. Frey then singled to score Kruep to put BC ahead 2-1. In the second, Hiser tripled to score Giles before freshman Addison Ruyle hit her first career home run to also score Hiser, putting the Beavers up 5-1.

The third inning featured another Frey home run and a Giles double which scored Schoen. Ruyle added a double to score Giles and put Blackburn ahead 8-1.

Monmouth responded and pulled within 8-6 but Giles stopped the rally with her first homer to make it 9-6, but the Scots answered and pulled ahead 11-9 in the top of the sixth.

In the Blackburn sixth, Kruep knocked her first home of the year, then Giles homered again and scored Frey and senior Zoe Mitchell and put Blackburn back on top 13-11. Hiser scored the final run of the game later in the inning off a Weber single.

Monmouth managed just one runner in the top of the seventh and Blackburn picked up their first win of the year with the 14-11 victory.

Blackburn opens the season 1-1 and will return to action Friday, March 6 with a doubleheader against Ripon College.