IOWA CITY, Iowa – With a pair of wins on Sunday (March 26) at the Bob Pearl Softball Field, the Illinois softball team pushed its winning streak to eight games while earning a Big Ten Conference series sweep over Iowa with a 5-2 victory in game one, before taking game two, 7-4.
The Illini, who's eight-game winning streak ranks in a tie for seventh all-time in program history, improves to 22-8 and 3-0 in the Big Ten – marking the first time since 2009 that Illinois has opened conference play with three-straight wins.
"This was the start to Big Ten play that we've been working for," said head coach Tyra Perry. "It is tough to beat a team three times on the road and we were able to do that against a very scrappy Iowa program. Ruby Rivera was outstanding on defense. She made several difficult plays in both games that gave our team a boost. Stephanie Abello and Alyssa Gunther were both locked in on offense as well."
Senior Alyssa Gunther was on fire in the two games for the Illini, registering a .714 batting average on a 5-for-7 performance at the plate with three runs, a double and an RBI, while classmate Nicole Evans totaled four hits – including a home run and a double – to go along with four RBI and four runs. Sophomore Stephanie Abello added four hits, three RBI and a run on the day.
Game One: Illinois 5, Iowa 2
After a one-out double to left field from Gunther in the third inning, Evans knocked her team-leading 11th home run of the season to give the Illini a 2-0 lead.
The Hawkeyes (6-20, 0-3 Big Ten) closed within one at 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth with an unearned run on an RBI double, but the Illini responded with three runs in the top of the seventh on RBI singles from Evans and Abello and an RBI double from redshirt-freshman Veronica Ruelius.
Iowa doubled in a run in the bottom of the seventh, but it wouldn't be enough in the 5-1 Illini victory.
Senior Breanna Wonderly (9-7) continued her strong play in the circle, allowing just one earned run on four hits and two walks, while striking out two in the complete game win.
As a team, the Illini totaled 13 hits, but were hampered by three errors.
Game Two: Illinois 7, Iowa 4
The Hawkeyes broke the scoreless tie with an RBI single in the third, but the Illini answered back in the fifth as junior Maddi Doane brought in the tying run on an RBI single to right field, before Gunther notched an infield single to plate Doane for the 2-1 lead.
A three-run inning for Iowa in the bottom of the fifth frame put the home team up 4-2, but the Illini stormed back to score five-unanswered runs over the sixth and seventh innings. Abello got the scoring started with a two-run home run to right field, her eighth of the year, followed by a Doane RBI single to right field.
Evans continued the Illini run with an RBI double to centerfield, with junior pinch hitter Rowan McGuire capping the 7-4 victory with an RBI single up the middle.
Junior Erin Walker (3-0) secured her third win of the season as she gave up just three hits in a inning of relief action, before Wonderly entered in the bottom of the sixth and earned her second save of the season with 1.2 hitless innings of work. Sophomore Taylor Edwards started the contest and allowed three earned runs on six hits and a walk in 4.1 innings.
Illinois next returns home for a four-game homestand, first hosting Illinois State in single midweek match-up on Wednesday, March 29 at 5 p.m., before welcoming in Minnesota for the first Big Ten home series of the season on Friday-Sunday, March 31-April 2 at Eichelberger Field.
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