Feb. 25, 2012
Box Scores: Illinois-Winthrop | Illinois-Massachusetts
Video Interviews: Head Coach Terri Sullivan | Freshman Center Fielder Brittany Sanchez
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Illinois softball earned a doubleheader sweep of Winthrop, 3-2, and Massachusetts, 4-2, at the NFCA Leadoff Classic on Saturday afternoon. Against Winthrop, senior third baseman Kelley Wedel went 2-for-3 with an RBI single as the Orange and Blue fought back from a one-run deficit for the win. Junior pitching duo Jackie Guy and Pepper Gay combined to limit the Eagles to four hits and one walk to secure the victory. In the second game, a three-run third inning pushed Illinois by Massachusetts, which entered the contest receiving votes for the NFCA Top-25 National Poll. Freshman center fielder Brittany Sanchez paced the offense with a 3-for-4, two runs scored, one RBI performance.
"We came out today and played great Illini softball," Illinois head coach Terri Sullivan said. "We had solid pitching that really concentrated pitch-by-pitch and we kept momentum on our side when either Winthrop or UMass tried to steal it. We had solid defense and finally go going with some clutch hitting. We worked all week in practice at driving the ball hard and it was nice to see it in both games today, as we got a lot of offense going just driving the ball hard."
Game One: Illinois 3, Winthrop 2
With the game against Winthrop knotted at 1-1, Illinois plated a pair of runners in the fourth inning to go ahead,3-1, before Guy and Gay combined to limit the Eagles over the final three frames. Senior first baseman Meredith Hackett led off the fourth with a single up the middle before Nikki Simpson pinch ran at first base. Freshman right fielder Jess Perkins followed with a sacrifice bunt back to the circle to move Simpson to second, before the Wheaton, Ill., native stole third. With Simpson now on third with one out, sophomore designated player Jenna Mychko laced an RBI-single to left field, scoring Simpson to push Illinois ahead, 2-1.
After Jami Schkade pinch ran for Mychko at first base, Sanchez singled to left field and both runners moved up one base on a wild pitch. With Schkade on third and Sanchez on second, redshirt-senior second baseman/left fielder Danielle Vaji (Plano, Texas/Plano) hit a bouncing ground ball to Winthrop third baseman Alex White. White's throw across the infield sailed high and pulled first baseman Kathryn Eberlin off the base, allowing Vaji to reach, as Schkade advanced home for the Illini's third run. However, during the play, Sanchez was called out for leaving second base early, ending the frame in the process, although the eventual winning run counted.
Winthrop (5-7 overall) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning on an infield single by Megan Chapman. Prior to Chapman's at bat, Jenna Harbin doubled down the left field line and moved to third on a fielding error by Illini left fielder Alex Booker to put a runner in scoring position.
However, the Illini answered immediately to tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the third. With one away, Vaji singled to left field and moved to second on a wild pitch. Booker followed with a groundout to second, advancing Vaji up one base before Wedel hit a line drive over the third base bag. White knocked the ball down with a diving play as it passed third, but was unable to scoop it up and throw to first before Wedel reached safely, allowing Vaji to rush home to tie the game.
To secure her second win of the year, Guy went 5 1/3 innings, limiting Winthrop to a pair of earned runs on four hits and one walk while striking out three. After Eberlin connected for a solo home run in the sixth, pulling Winthrop within one run of tying, Gay took over in the circle to close out the contest. To earn her first save of the season, Gay tossed 1 2/3 innings of shutout softball, securing the five outs needed on four groundouts and one fly ball.
"They're throwing all their pitches around the zone well and are doing better responding to hits or previous plays," said Sullivan of how Guy and Gay found success today. "They are staying in the moment and working together well. They teamed up in the first game and took care of business before Pepper came through with an outstanding outing [against Massachusetts]."
Game Two: Illinois 4, Massachusetts 2
Illinois scored first against Massachusetts (5-4), tallying one run in the second inning through a combination of plate discipline and defensive miscues by the Minutewomen. With one away, Mychko reached on an error by Massachusetts first baseman Tiffany Meeks and Sanchez followed with a single to move Mychko to second. Booker took over for Mychko as a pinch runner before Vaji followed with a grounder to the left side, with everyone safe on the play as third baseman Teea Rodgers bobbled the ball. With the bases now loaded, junior catcher Stephanie Cuevas stepped to the plate and drew a walk to push Booker home and break the scoreless tie.
"We are maturing as a team at the plate, and I knew we would do that once we got some games under our belt," Sullivan said. "Every batter knows it's [important to have] pitch-by-pitch concentration, battle to get your pitch and work the count and we did that much better today."
The Illini added three more runs in the top of the third to secure a 4-0 advantage, scoring each with two outs. Perkins drew a walk and Mychko reached on an error by Minutewomen shortstop Quianna Diaz-Patterson, with Perkins advancing to third on the play to put runners on the corners. Sanchez followed with a single through the left side, scoring Perkins to put Illinois ahead by two.
"I zoned in to looking at outside pitches because that is what I have seen the majority of the time," said Sanchez of her approach at the plate. "I focused on keeping my swing short and just hitting through [the pitch]."
With Mychko on second and Sanchez at first, Vaji followed with a walk to load the bases before Schkade singled to third, scoring Mychko to put the Illini in front, 3-0. During the play, Rodgers attempted to throw across the infield to record the putout at first; however, Meeks was unable to come up with the ball cleanly as the throw was low and in the dirt, allowing Schkade to reach base safely and Sanchez to race home for Illinois' final run of the contest.
In the bottom of the third, UMass looked to be primed to answer immediately, with Christine Della Vecchi reaching on an error by Schkade to bring the top of the order to bat with one on and no one out. With Cyndil Matthew up next, Gay induced a fly ball down the right field line. As the wind pushed the ball out of play into foul territory, Perkins sprinted from right field, snagging the ball as she ran into the infield tarp being stored against the fencing in right field foul territory.
After the athletic diving play from Perkins, Diaz-Patterson flied out to Sanchez in center before Katie Bettencourt drew a walk to put Minutewomen on first and second. With Lindsey Webster up to bat, Gay secured a pop out to second base to end the threat.
The Minutewomen cut their deficit in half in the fourth with a two-run home rundown the left field line off Stephanie Mayne's bat after Kyllie Magill reached two batters earlier on an error by Hackett.
However, Gay settled in to keep UMass off the scoreboard in their final three frames. The Avondale Estates, Ga., native held the Minutewomen to only one more hit following the homer, a leadoff single in the fifth by Matthew. Gay then induced a lineout and fly out to put two away before striking out Webster to end the threat.
After Gay set Massachusetts down in order during the sixth, the Minutewomen pushed for one final rally attempt in the seventh. Gay remained composed following a defensive gaffe that allowed Bridget Lemire to reach safely as the leadoff hitter, striking out Della Vecchi before earning a pair of routine groundouts to secure the win.
Gay allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits and one walk while striking out six, lowering her season ERA to 1.76 in the process. Lemire went the distance for UMass, surrendering 10 hits and three walks while all four Illinois runs were unearned.
Illinois (6-6) concludes play at the NFCA Leadoff Classic with a 9 a.m. CT contest against Boston University (2-2).
