CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini softball team earned their fourth-straight win as a four-run fourth inning propelled Illinois to a 5-2 win over SIUE in a midweek contest at Eichelberger Field on Wednesday (April 12) night.
The Illini improve to 28-10 on the season, while the Cougars fall to 32-8 in 2017.
"Today's contest was one of my favorites of the season thus far," said head coach Tyra Perry. "We had several players come into the game and make contributions to secure the win. Kate Giddens was certainly a highlight today. She was called upon to pitch to in a critical part of the game and showed a ton of heart to get us out of a sticky situation. SIUE is an outstanding team and it was great to get the win in front of our home crowd."
SIUE grabbed an early 1-0 lead with a leadoff home run in the third, but the Illini wasted little time in tying things up as a well-executed double steal with sophomore Kiana Sherlund taking second and junior Leigh Farina coming home knotted the score at 1-1 in the bottom half of the inning.
The Illini then broke the tie with four runs in the fourth, starting with an RBI single to left field from junior Sam Acosta after a leadoff double from sophomore Stephanie Abello earlier in the frame. After an infield single from junior Maddi Doane put runners at the corners, a Cougar error plated the second run of the inning. Redshirt-freshman Veronica Ruelius then added a two-run double to left center field to put UI up 5-1.
A sacrifice fly from SUIE in the sixth the lead to 5-2, but the Illini pitching staff held strong as senior Breanna Wonderly entered in the seventh to close out the victory and earn her fourth save of the season.
Sophomore starter Taylor Edwards (12-1) allowed just one earned run on three hits and pair of walks in four innings to net the win, while juniors Erin Walker (1 ER, 2H, 2 BB, 1K, 1.2 IP) and Kate Giddens (OR, 0H, 0.1 IP) also saw action in the circle.
Both teams totaled six hits, with the Cougars committing a pair of errors on the day. Ruelius led the Illini with a hit and two RBI, while Acosta contributed a hit, a run and an RBI in her third-straight start. Sherlund and Doane each added a hit and a run in the win.
Illinois will next face Michigan State in a three-game conference series at Davenport University's Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex this weekend due to flooding of MSU's Secchia Softballl Stadium. The Illini and the Spartans will open the series on Friday (April 14) with a single game at 3 p.m. CT, followed by a doubleheader on Saturday (April 15) beginning at 1 p.m.
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