March 25, 2001

Box Score

Marietta, Ga. - Illinois begins its home season Tuesday night at the brand new Eichelberger Field. The Illini enter the contest with Valparaiso with great momentum following an impressive final four performance at the 25-team Buzz Classic in Marietta, Ga. The 6-1 performance at the tournament has boosted the Illinois record to 26-12. The Illini have won 11 of their last 13.

Sunday Illinois won its quarterfinal round game with Maryland, 8-0, the sixth win in a row without a loss for Illinois, then fell to Harvard, 3-2 in the semifinals. The win over Maryland was the third over an ACC opponent for the Illini this season and comes on the heels of their second win over a ranked opponent, a 1-0 win over Wisconsin Saturday night in the first round of single elimination. Earlier this year the Illini defeated 16th-ranked Florida State and Virginia.

On Feb. 23, Illinois and Maryland each had just one hit and Maryland won a wild pitch, 1-0, at the Florida Atlantic Tournament. Sunday Illinois' bats came alive, leading to three runs in the first inning. Katie O'Connell hit her second home run of the season, a three-run shot, in the first to culminate the rally. O'Connell also doubled and scored in a five-run fifth for Illinois.

Kristie Sauter had the big blow in the fifth with a double to left center, plating both Alicia Hammel and O'Connell. One batter later Erin Montgomery doubled scoring two more. The Illini took advantage of three Maryland errors in the inning. All five runs for Illinois were unearned.

Meanwhile, Amanda Fortune continued her splendid performance on the mound. Fortune won her sixth straight decision, giving up just two hits, walking none and striking out three. That improved her record to 11-5 and lowered her team-leading earned-run average to 1.04.

Illinois went 37 straight games without giving up a run in the first inning. That all changed against Harvard as the first Crimson hitter of the game, Sara Williamson, belted a home run. In fact all three runs for Harvard came on solo home runs - the others coming from Sarah Koppel in the sixth and Breanne Cooley in the seventh.

Illinois battled back with a run in the bottom of the first. Lindsey Hamma scored on an error by the Harvard shortstop then went in front, 2-1, in the second as Alicia Hammel scored on a wild pitch. The Illini threatened in the seventh when Lauren Gronski singled to lead off the inning, but failed to bring home the tying run.

"We played exceptional the entire tournament," said Illinois Head Coach Terri Sullivan. "We are right where we want to be going into the second half of the season. Our hitting throughout the line-up has been smarter. The batters have gone to the plate with more aggressiveness."