Sept. 16, 2002
Orland Park, Ill. -
The University of Illinois softball team won four and lost one at the Chicagoland Fall Classic held Sept. 14-15 at Orland Park, Ill., in a fall exhibition event.
The weekend gave the Illini a chance to test their skills against outside competition and allowed the newcomers to gain valuable experience. Illinois defeated Bradley, Northern Iowa, IUPUI, and Northern Illinois, while falling to nationally ranked DePaul.
Slap hitting specialist outfielder Rachelle Coriddi was among those newcomers who made a huge impact. Coriddi started all five games, four in center field and one at second base, and posted a .500 batting average (7 of 14) with one RBI. Freshman Jenna Hall started all five games at first base and went 5 for 13 (.385) with a double, a triple and a team-leading five RBI. In all, Illinois logged eight extra base hits, including a home run from Erin Montgomery, for a .403 slugging percentage.
Illinois used four different pitchers on the weekend, the majority of innings thrown by last year's workhorse Sherri Taylor, who logged 15.2 innings and posted a 3.13 ERA. Freshman Jackelyn Diekemper, who is expected to make a big impact this season, pitched 9.2 innings, giving up just three earned runs. Amanda Fortune, who is recovering from off-season shoulder surgery, made two appearances for 5.2 innings giving up just two hits, one run, and no walks. Christine Burchill, meanwhile, didn't give up a run in three innings of work.
Illinois began the tournament with a 9-1 win over Bradley in six innings. The Illini broke open a 3-1 game with five runs in the fifth inning. Hall went 3-for-3 with three RBI, doubling in a run in the third, and then singling in two more in the fifth. Lindsey Hamma,
Janna Sartini and Coriddi also singled home runs in the five-run fifth.
Illinois used a four-run sixth to post a 6-3 come-from-behind victory over Northern Iowa. Illinois got all 10 of its hits from the top of the order, paced by LeeAnn Butcher (3-for-4) and Lindsey Hamma (2-for-3, 2 RBI). Erin Montgomery contributed a solo homer in the six. Fortune pitched the final 1.2 innings to record the victory.
The Illini suffered their only setback against DePaul, 8-0, on Saturday night. All-American Lindsay Chouinard shut out Illinois on four hits. The Demons exploded for five runs in the fourth to break the game open. The Blue Demons will come to Champaign to face the Illini for the first time during the regular season in April.
Illinois returned to its winning ways with a 6-1 win over IUPUI. Fortune, Taylor and Burchill combined for a three-hitter. Eight different Illinois players recorded hits, led by Butcher's two base knocks.
The Illini ended the tournament with a 6-4 win over Northern Illinois. Illinois scored in four of the six innings it batted. Coriddi was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Three of Illinois' seven hits were for extra bases, including doubles by Sarah Baumgartner and Katie O'Connell and a triple by Hall.
Illinois plays in one more fall tournament on Sept. 29 as the Illini host both Eastern Illinois and Indiana State in a round robin tournament beginning at 11 a.m.
