March 27, 2001

Box Score

Urbana, Ill. - The day couldn't have been scripted any better. The sun shone on Eichelberger Field Tuesday as "Shorty" Eichelberger through a strike to home plate for the opening pitch. The Illinois team responded with a doubleheader sweep over visiting Valparaiso, 2-0 and 7-0. The Illini winners, of 13 of their last 15 games, open Big Ten play Friday afternoon against Michigan State at 2 p.m.

In the second game came two unlikely firsts. Center fielder Sarah Baumgartner drilled the first home run over left-center field fence her first homer of her career. Kathryn Nevard (14-7) also tossed the stadium's first no-hitter as well. Nevard allowed four base runners, two on errors and two on walks, to post her second career no-hitter (She no-hit Rhode Island on Feb. 17). The wins also were the 13th and 14th shutouts of the season for Illinois (28-12).

The first hit on the new field belonged to Illini shortstop Lindsay Hamma, an infield single in the first inning of the first game. Hamma stole second and scored on a rip single past the third baseman off the bat of Katie O'Connell.

That was all Illinois hurler Amanda Fortune would need. She allowed just two hits and struck out five in winning her seventh straight decision and raising her overall mark to 12-5. Baumgartner had two of the Illini's six hits in the contest. Hamma drove in Erin Montgomery in the fifth for the second Illinois run.

Illinois loaded the bases with nobody out in the first inning of game two, but failed to score. Baumgartner's blast broke the 0-0 tie in the fourth. The Illini sent 11 batters to the plate in the fifth inning and scored six times. Katie O'Connell doubled home Lindsey Hamma, then scored on a single by Alicia Hammel. Karyn Bird, who entered the game in the fourth as a pinch hitter, singled home another run, then Erin Jones singled with the bases loaded scoring two more. Hamma was 2-for-4 on the game and 3-for-6 for the doubleheader.

As is the case for many no-hitters, Nevard had some help in the field to preserve it. Byrd used full extension to snag a ball that seemed sailing over her head in the sixth, then Erin Montgomery dove for the final out of the game on a looper that seemed headed for the spot between Jones, Hamma and Montgomery.

"This was an exciting day for Illinois softball," Illinois head coach Terri Sullivan said afterward. "You don't expect to get a no-hitter in the first day, but Kat had some great defense behind her."

Valparaiso falls to 2-14.