March 2, 2007

Final Stats

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Sophomore Lana Armstrong (Rowlett, Texas) hit a double to give Illinois an early lead over the No. 4 Texas A&M in the 2007 Texas A&M Invitational at Aggie Softball Complex on Friday, but the Illini could not maintain their advantage and lost 6-2 in their second game of the day.

After the Aggies took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first playing as the visitors, Angelena Mexicano doubled to right on A&M's Amanda Scarborough' 1-0 pitch. Two batters later, Kisten Martin knocked another offering, good for two bases and an RBI, into the outfield before Armstrong rapped the third Illini double of the inning to score Martin for a 2-1 advantage.

Illinois starter Vicky Brown retired the first two Aggies batters in the second inning, but Joy Davis hit a full-count pitch to left to tie the game at 2-2 before Brown ended the inning with a strikeout. Nevertheless, Davis' home run was one of four runs the Aggies scored with two outs. Also included in the tally was a two-run, two-out homer by Scarborough in the third where she helped her own cause, giving her team the lead for good.

The Illini earned a Friday split earlier in the day when they came from behind to defeat McNeese State 5-3 after an early-morning arrival due to flight delays. Making her fifth start of the season, Sydney Lisy notched the first of two RBI-doubles for a 1-0 lead after an inning a half, but McNeese State took the opportunities Illinois gave them in the bottom of the second.

First, Rachael Phillips reached on Katie Gaitros' error in left. Then, Shayla Cormier followed Michelle LaVoie's fielder's choice play with a single and LaVoie took second on Angelena Mexicano's fielding miscue at short. The Cowgirls furthered their lead to 4-1 on Brown's wild pitch in relief of Ashley Wright.

McNeese State held the lead until the fourth inning, but the tables turned for Illinois when the Cowgirls committed the first of two errors against the Illini after they recorded three errors in the morning against Syracuse.

Molly Lawhead succeeded Hope Howell's two-out double, and the play worsened for the Cowgirls when MSU centerfielder Courtney Lemke tried to stop Lawhead's liner, only to watch the ball go into right field instead. Meanwhile, Howell and Lisy scored for a 4-4 tie. Lisy connected on her second run-scoring double in the fifth for a 5-4 lead, and two more Brown strikeouts set up a three-run final inning for the Illini.

On a 2-2 pitch from McNeese State starter Jana Jones, senior Brittany Koester, who had entered the game in the fourth as a defensive replacement for Armstrong behind the plate, hit the second home run of her career with one out and two on in the seventh. The fourth-year player hit the other home run of her career in a 10-1 win over Loyola on April 6, 2005 at Eichelberger Field.