On April 8, 2026 The Elgin Community College Spartans ended their 9 game losing streak with a 12-4 win against Oakton Community College at the Elgin Sports Complex. 

The game ended with a slaughter rule in which a team automatically wins a game if they’re leading by 8 runs after 5 innings. Almost 20 people attended the game, braving the nice but windy weather. 

“I had to adjust to the wind, especially in the outfield, because we had to adjust to the wind pushing the ball back further and more towards right field,” Jamrya Thomas, second year utility player.

According to ECC’s Sport Information Specialist, Melanie Schaefer, they’re currently ranked 8th in the Illinois Skyway Conference. It’s a frequent occurrence for the Spartans to end the game in the slaughter rule, in which a team automatically wins a game if they’re leading by 8 runs after 5 innings. This season, they had 12 games that ended in this rule. 

In the beginning of the game, the team got off to a good start, scoring two runs in the first inning. In their last two games, the team wasn’t able to score in the first inning. 

Throughout the game, the Spartans played good defence but the strong windy conditions affected their ability to catch fly balls a little bit. 

In the fourth inning, the team scored 4 runs which is the most runs scored in this game. During the same inning, Jamrya Thomas scored two RBI’s with her first home run of the season. 

Tom Potter, a crowd member, commented on how the team could end their losing streak. 

“If the Spartans defence and pitching stay on top of the game, they will win.” Potter said. 

Jamyra Thomas, second year utility player noted the windy conditions made her change her stance throughout the game. 

“Since it’s blowing more towards the right side, which is where first and second bases are in the outfield, I’ll just shift more on the right side of the second base.” she said. “I’ll play more towards the second base side than short and third or in the middle.” 

The Spartans win vs Oakton Community College gives Thomas the motivation to put more effort in her performances. 

“It makes me feel like I have to work harder because I’m not just playing in regular conditions and playing against the wind, so I have to put more effort into things like making adjustments and thinking more.” she said. 

She noted that the team currently doesn’t have their own softball field and Thomas wishes they have their own field to play on. 

“It’s not that bad. I do wish we had our own field. I feel like it will be a little better but it’s nice playing out here.” Thomas said. “The people out here are nice, and we do have a decent little fan base that does come to the sports complex, even though we’re not playing at the school.” 

Jim Such, head coach of the softball team stated the Spartans worked hard to get the win. 

“They come out every day and work hard. We played a lot of really good teams, so our record did not really reflect our talent.” he said. “ I knew they were going to win some games, and they played excellently today.”  

Such noted ECC doesn’t have their own softball field compared to other schools in the region. 

“It’s a real problem.” he said. “Every school in the region, all 22 schools have their own specific field except for us. And because our baseball field has a beautiful stadium and we don’t have our own stadium, we feel very unfairly treated.” 

He noted the team’s losing streak motivated the team’s win against Oakton Community College. 

 “We come out every day to work but we don’t have giant expectations.” Such said. “We do play to win but their attitude has stayed great the whole season and we’re always ready to play every day.” 

Such noted ECC doesn’t have their own softball field compared to other schools in the region. 

The team’s next game is a doubleheader on the road against Mchenry County College on Thursday April 9 at 3 PM. The Spartans win vs Oakton brings their record to 2-13 on the season.