Bryant & Stratton three-peats, Rock Valley returns to top of Region 4
MOLINE, ILL. - Two familiar faces secured Region 4 Division II Softball Tournament championships in 2026, as top-seeded Rock Valley College won their third crown in the last four years and #4-seeded Bryant & Stratton College made it three straight years with a title. The Golden Eagles were the NJCAA Midwest District A chmpion after defeating #3-seed Black Hawk College 3-2 in an extra innings walk-off on the Braves home field on May 8, while the Bobcats followed on May 9 with a 13-5 decision in six innings over BHC to take the NJCAA Midwest District B trophy. Rock Valley's Darin Monroe was voted the Region 4 Coach of the Year, marking his 11th time receiving the award. (Recaps: Bryant & Stratton)
Rock Valley College began postseason play with a resounding run through their quarterfinal tournament, earning wins of 13-0 over #16 McHenry County College and then 13-3 and 11-2 in back-to-back games over #8 Kankakee Community College with all three games ending in five innings. At the Region 4 Tournament, the Golden Eagles took down Bryant & Stratton College in the semifinals with a 9-1 decision in five innings. The game opened with four runs in the first and two more in the second to build a 6-0 advantage before the Bobcats scored a run in the fourth. Rock Valley followed with three more runs to close it out in run-ruled fashion. Makayla Henline and McKenzie Culvey each had two hits and two runs scored, with Henline driving in four runs and Culvey two. Molly Roe struck out five batters and allowed the one earned run on five hits. In the championship with Black Hawk College, the Golden Eagles took a 2-0 lead in the third, only to see teh Braves tie in the seventh. In extra innings, RVC walked off with the win and the title. Avery Kennedy posted two hits, two RBI, and a run scored, while Ella Dannhorn scored twice and drove in a run with a hit and a walk. Both players also homered in the win. Peyton Mancl tossed seven innings with five K's before Sienna Stingley took over for the final inning with one strikeout.
Bryant & Stratton College experienced a much different route to claiming their championship, which started with playing their quarterfinal tournament on the road at #5 Illinois Valley Community College. Following an 8-0 blanking of #13 South Suburban College in five innings, the Bobcats lost 11-5 to the Eagles, forcing BSC into an elimination game with #12 Kishwaukee College. Following a 9-4 defeat of the Kougars, Bryant & Stratton College swept two games over IVCC by scores of 13-3 in six innings and 13-6 to advance to the Region 4 Tournament. After the semifinal setback to Rock Valley College, the Bobcats again found their backs against a wall in an elimination game with #2 College of Lake County. Three runs in the first put BSC up early; however, the Lancers answered with five runs over three innings to take the lead. Bryant & Stratton closed it out with four runs in the fifth and two in the sixth to win 9-5. Olivia Fietz had three hits and three runs scored, while Jenna Beaudin and Jayda Karls each drove in three runs on two hits and a walk. Samantha Foytik also had three RBI. Kylie Stark pitched to the win with just one earned run over seven innings and two strikeouts. The District B title game saw the host Braves lead 1-0 into the fourth inning when the Bobcats tied the game, and then followed with four runs in the fifth. Black Hawk answered with four of their own as the game moved to the bottom of the sixth tied at 5-5. Bryant & Stratton College kept hitting and racked up eight runs for a 13-5 walk-off win via run-rule. Beaudin hit a homer and was one of four players to drive in three runs, a group that included Karls, Julia Prochnow and Bella Umentum. Stark and Jazmine Karls combined for the pitching effort, with Stark tossing six innings.
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SPARTANBURG, SO. CAR. - At the NJCAA Division II Softball World Series, Rock Valley College was awarded the #4 seed and Bryant & Stratton College the #17 seed. The Bobcats drew a first round meeting with #16 Grand Rapids Community College, where they lost 8-3 despite holding a 3-2 edge after four innings. Olivia Fietz and Samantha Foytik each homered for BSC, which fell to the loser's bracket for an elimination game against #15 Louisburg College. Once again BSC lead early with a 4-0 advantage after three runs in the third. Louisburg rallied with five runs over the final four innings to win 5-4 and end the Bobcats season with a 38-19 record. Brooke Tennies and Foytik both finished with two hits and a run scored.
Rock Valley College earned a first round bye, and drew #13 Northwest Mississippi Community College in the second round. A sacrifice fly by Makayla Henline in the fourth inning scored McKenzie Culvey, accounting for the only run of the game in a 1-0 win. Peyton Mancl scattered five hits over seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Next up was a clash with #5 Pearl River Community College, and the Golden Eagles held a 3-2 lead into the fifth inning before PRCC scored five runs over two innings to claim a 7-4 victory en route to winning their first national championship. Nyah Allen had two hits and scored two runs. In an elimation game with #10 State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, the Golden Eagles fell behind 7-0 early and never recovered in a 13-2 loss in five innings to end their season 58-5.
(Images courtesy of Rock Valley College Athletics and Bryant & Stratton College Athletics)