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North Boone rallies past Dakota in battle of two of the top softball programs in Illinois
TL;DR
North Boone defeated Dakota 5-3 in a highly anticipated softball matchup between two top Illinois teams. Both teams entered the game with impressive 17-2 records and had strong performances in last year's state tournament.
Key points
- North Boone defeated Dakota 5-3
- Both teams had 17-2 overall records
- Dakota was leading the NUIC North with an 8-0 record
- North Boone was leading the Big Northern Conference with a 9-0 mark
- Marlee Alderman drove in two runs for North Boone
Mentioned in this story
Illinois
North BooneDakotaIHSA State Tournament
POPLAR GROVE, Ill. (WTVO/WQRF) — Two of the Rockford area’s premier softball programs tested their skills against each other Wednesday. Dakota faced North Boone. Both teams went to the IHSA State Tournament last year. Dakota finished fourth in Class 1A. North Boone finished third in Class 2A. Both teams returned the majority of their players from those squads.
Both teams also came into this game with 17-2 overall records. Dakota was leading the NUIC North with a record of 8-0. North Boone was leading the Big Northern Conference with a 9-0 conference mark. North Boone took this game 5-3.
Dakota had the upper hand through four innings leading 3-0. The Indians scored a pair of runs in the first inning. Finley Banks and Brynlee Sickles had RBI hits. The third run came in the third inning when AJ Howarth had a single to drive home Autumn Kinney.
Howarth, in the circle, held North Boone’s potent bats off the scoreboard until the fifth inning. That’s when the Vikings erupted for all five of their runs. Marlee Alderman smashed a ball to leftfield to drive in two of those runs.
Left fielder Rachel Dahl had a big day at the plate for North Boone. She had three hits in four at bats including a double. Shortstop Hayden Staver had a pair of hits. Third baseman Lucy Eicholz drove in a pair of runs.
Courtney Troutt started the game in the circle for North Boone. She pitched 2.1 innings allowing six hits and three runs. Only one was earned. She gave way to Aubrie Dornink. The freshman was outstanding. Dornink went 4.2 innings allowed only one hit and no runs while striking out three batters.
Howarth pitched six innings for Dakota. She allowed eight hits and five runs. Only one run was earned. She struck out four batters. Sickles led Dakota at the plate with a pair of hits and an RBI.
Watch the media player for highlights.
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Q&A
What were the records of North Boone and Dakota before their softball game?
Both North Boone and Dakota had 17-2 overall records before their matchup.
How did North Boone come back to win against Dakota?
North Boone scored five runs in the fifth inning after being down 3-0, with Marlee Alderman driving in two runs.
What were Dakota's and North Boone's achievements in last year's state tournament?
Dakota finished fourth in Class 1A, while North Boone finished third in Class 2A in last year's IHSA State Tournament.
