Feb. 18, 2007

Final Stats

Las Vegas, Nev. - Through three games of the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic, Illinois had totaled 30 runs with seven home runs, five doubles, one triple, and a .316 team batting average. During the final two games, however, the Illini offense fizzled, including Sunday in a 6-4 loss to UNLV in the tournament finale.

On Saturday night, the Illini managed just one hit off Tennessee All-American Monica Abbott, and on Sunday UNLV's Shannon Crisp no-hit the Illini and faced the minimum number of batters through four innings.

Illinois starting pitcher Vicky Brown matched Crisp for three innings, shutting out the Rebels on just one hit. In the fourth inning, however, Brittany Meade ended the scoreless tie with a two-run home run to left field. UNLV added two more unearned runs in the fifth, the big blow coming on a triple off the center-field fence from Brittany Bolinger. Kendall Fearn singled up the middle scoring Bolinger giving the Rebels a 4-0 cushion.

With Crips cruising along, it seemed as if the Rebels were on their way to an easy victory. Illinois, though, has shown resiliency in the tournament, coming back three times to defeat Southern Utah 11-10 on Friday and cutting a six-run deficit to one against highly-regarded BYU before falling to the Cougars 11-9 on Saturday.

Illinois did it again on Sunday. Lana Armstrong, who had nine RBI in a pair of victories on Friday, spoiled the no-hitter with an infield single in the fifth. Then in the sixth, the Illini loaded the bases on seeing-eye singles from Ashley Wright and Shanna Diller sandwiched around a walk to Hope Howell. Senior Molly Lawhead took a Crisp offering and deposited over the left-center field fence for a grand slam to tie the score at 4-4.

The lead was short-lived, unfortunately, for the Illini. A two-out, two-run double from Jaci Hull in the bottom of the sixth gave UNLV (8-3) the lead for good.

After winning the first two games of the tournament, the Illini dropped the last three to fall to 5-5 on the season, and after a sizzling start offensively, Illinois cooled off the last two games. Catcher Lana Armstrong had the big bat in the tournament with a .400 average, two home runs, nine RBI, a .500 on-base percentage and a 1.000 slugging percentage.

The Illini play at the FAU Pepsi Classic Feb. 23-25 in Boca Raton, Fla.