3/31/2026 Carlinville, Ill–The Blue Jay softball team traveled to Illinois to play a doubleheader against conference opponent Blackburn College. Madison Plybon, who has pitched in four of the last five games, got the start for the Jays. Plybon pitched phenomenally despite her high workload. She spun a complete game shutout with five strikeouts. The offense did not need to do much work to back her up. They only put up one unearned run all game when Payton Dudenhoffer scored on a wild pitch in the fifth. The Jays would win this low-scoring game 1-0.
Going for a sweep, the Blue Jays' offense started much better than in the series opener. A first-inning
Carlie Regier RBI single put the Jays up 1-0, and already matched their run total from the previous game. This lead lasted until the third inning when sophomore
Peityn Thomas allowed two runs following a double and an error. The Blue Jay offense returned to their previous form and did not score for the rest of the game, losing 1-2. While the pitching was great throughout the doubleheader, the offense struggled, leading to a series split.
The Blue Jays will play Lyon College back in Fulton on April 6 for another conference doubleheader.
