CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – For the eighth-straight game, the Illinois softball team left the field as the victors as the Illini earned an 8-2 win over Butler on Wednesday (April 19) night at Eichelberger Field.
With the win, the Illini push overall record to 32-10 in 2017 and come within one win of matching their season-long win streak, while the Bulldogs drop to 17-24 on the year.
"It was a great all around effort today," said head coach Tyra Perry. "Our defense was solid and we did what was needed on offense to win. I am especially pleased with Sam Acosta making several plays at third base. Kate Giddens was masterful yet again coming into a tough situation in the sixth inning and doing her job."
Senior Nicole Evans paced the Illini offense with a 3-for-4 effort, including knocking her 15th home run of the season to go along with two RBI and a run. With her dinger, Evans pulls within one of tying the career home run record set by Angelena Mexicano at 51.
Classmate Ruby Rivera also contributed two hits, two RBI and a run, while junior Annie Fleming added two runs and two hits.
The Illini started off the scoring with a pair of runs in the third as junior Maddi Doane doubled to lead off the inning, followed by a bunt single from sophomore Kiana Sherlund. Senior Alyssa Gunther then drove in the first run of the day on an RBI grounder to second, before Rivera singled up the middle for the 2-0 lead.
A two-run home run to left field from Butler's Kennedy Minko knotted the score at 2-2 in the fourth, but the Illini responded in the bottom half of the frame as Fleming and junior Sam Acosta started the rally with back-to-back singles. Following a sacrifice bunt from junior Leigh Farina, a Bulldog error allowed two runs to score as Sherlund reached on the play to give the Illini the 4-2 advantage.
The Illini then poured it on with a run in the fifth on a Farina RBI single, followed by three runs in the bottom of the sixth, including a Rivera RBI single and Evans' two-run shot to left field.
Sophomore Taylor Edwards (15-1) went five and two-thirds innings to earn her 15th win of the season, giving up just two earned runs on six hits and two walks and striking out one. Juniors Kate Giddens (0.1 IP, 0 H, O R) and Erin Walker (1.0 IP 1 H, 1 BB, O R) also saw action in relief.
The Illini registered 14 hits in the win, while the Bulldogs totaled seven hits and one error. Sherlund and Acosta each added two hits and a run on the day.
Illinois next heads to Lincoln, Neb., for a three-game Big Ten Conference series at Nebraska on April 21-23. Game times are set for 5:30 p.m. CT on Friday, 3 p.m. on Saturday and 12 p.m. on Sunday.
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