THOMPSON’S 100TH CAREER HIT HIGHLIGHTS BULLDOGS SATURDAY SWEEP

POLAND OH-  Saturday was full of fireworks for Poland softball, as they pulled off a wild walk-off win over Jefferson in Game 1 and then ran away from Chalker in Game 2 behind a dominant outing from Lilly McDonald.

Game one was a slugfest from start to finish. Poland found themselves down early after Jefferson came out swinging in the first and put up a crooked number. But the Bulldogs answered big in the third with a five-run rally, highlighted by a Cassie Blanch double that plated two and flipped the script.

Jefferson wouldn’t go quietly though—scratching across runs in the fourth and then exploding in the sixth to take an 11-7 lead. But Poland refused to fold. In the bottom half, they clawed back to even it up thanks to key hits from Avery Jakubovic, Sydney Bulick, and a sac fly from Blanch.

Tied at 11 in the seventh, McDonald stepped to the plate with a chance to play hero—and delivered. Her walk-off single sealed a 12-11 win in dramatic fashion.

Blanch and Elliana Thompson both racked up three hits, while Blanch and Bulick each knocked in three. McDonald came on in relief and shut things down over three innings, picking up the win with six punchouts.

Jefferson’s Julia Sprague did damage with a 2-RBI triple, and Ada Sirrine went a perfect 4-for-4 in the losing effort. Still, it was Poland who made the final statement.

If the first game was chaos, the second was control. McDonald didn’t just win the first game with her bat—she owned the second one in the circle. The righty punched out 11 and scattered just five hits over six innings as Poland rolled past Chalker 12-2.

The Bulldogs got it going early, scoring in each of the first three frames, then slammed the door with a five-run sixth. Medvec, Madeline, and McDonald all came up with big RBIs, but the moment of the day belonged to Elliana Thompson, who ripped her 100th career hit during the win.

Thompson and Medvec both drove in a pair, while five Bulldogs picked up multi-hit games in the nightcap. Boccieri chipped in with two walks, showing the team’s discipline at the plate.

With the sweep, Poland improves and keeps momentum rolling as they head to Lakeview on Monday.