Box Score
Having not played for 11 days and with a tough pair of tournaments in South Carolina on the horizon next week, the University of Illinois softball team was in need of some games to get some momentum heading into its Spring Break trip. That's why the Illini braved the cold weather Thursday to travel to Eastern Illinois University. The results were positive in a doubleheader sweep of the host Panthers. Illinois won the first game 3-1 and took the nightcap, 12-0.
The first game was a pitching dual between the Illini's Kathryn Nevard and Eastern Illinois' Kristen Becker. Nevard struck out six in the first three innings and retired 12 of the first 15 batters. Eastern got its first two hits, however, in the fifth, the latter, a double by Kristin Darnell plated Amy Barr for the first run of the game.
Illinois battled back in the sixth. Katie O'Connell's two-out, two-run double scored Erin Montgomery and Karyn Bird to put the Illini ahead, 2-1. Illinois added an unearned run in the seventh and Nevard closed the door from there to pick up the win and improve her record to 8-3. Catcher Janna Sartini went 2-for-3 and scored a run in the opener.
"Coming back the way did shows that this young team has a lot of maturity," said Illinois Head Coach Terri Sullivan of her entire freshman starting line-up. "We had a good week of practice. We're just glad to be able to play today. Katie O'Connell got the big two-out hit when we needed it. We've been working on getting hits in pressure situations this week and it paid off tonight."
The Illini took charge early in the second game of the twinbill, knocking out seven hits and taking advantage of three Panther errors en route to the 12-0 win. O'Connell picked up right where she left off, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Illinois broke open a 1-0 game with four runs in the fourth and plated seven more in the fifth to win by the slaughter rule. Amanda Fortune tossed five innings of shutout ball and struck out seven. The bottom of the batting order set the tone for the Illini. Besides
O'Connell, the seventh-place hitter, first baseman Alicia Hammel went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored, and three RBI. Center fielder Sarah Baumgartner, one of the top Illinois hitters in the fall, returned from injury to make her first start of the year.
Hammel's double to lead off the fourth set the tone for the big inning. Likewise Sartini's double to lead off the fifth got the rally going in that frame. O'Connell, Hammel and Erin Jones all had big hits in the fifth.
Illinois takes a 13-6 record into next week's tournament games at Winthrop and Coastal Carolina Universities.
