March 15, 2005

Normal, Ill. - Local Illinois fans got their first look at the 2005 edition of Illinois softball. Although a game at Illinois State was not a home game for the Illini, it was a homecoming for freshman shortstop Shanna Diller, a graduate of Normal Community. Diller didn't disappoint the local contingent with a solo home run over the left-field wall in the first inning. The Illini added three more and held on for a 4-3 victory over the Redbirds. Illinois improves to 12-7, while the Redbirds, who are making noise in the early part of the season, fall to 14-5.

"I would be lying to say that it was just another game for me," said Diller, who is now tied for the team lead in both home runs (3) and RBI (19). "It was a nice homecoming."

Diller nearly duplicated the feat in the fourth inning, sending another shot to the warning track before being hauled in. Her teammates, though, did the rest of the damage, plating three runs in the inning. With two on and one out, sophomore lefty Kisten Martin turned on a pitch and pulled an offering from ISU starter Shannon Nicholson and slapped it off the right-field wall for a base-clearing triple. The next batter, Julie Balicki singled in the hole between shortstop and third base, plating Martin and making it 4-0 Illini.

"It was really a credit to our team that we didn't just sit on the one run," Diller said. "We have been working in practice in coming through in those situations."

For Martin, who has started the last 13 games at first base but hitting just .171 coming into the game, it was an opportunity to make the difference in a big win. "K-Mart has really been driving the ball in practice," said Illinois Head Coach Terri Sullivan. "It's a credit to her that she focused on playing in the present."

Illinois would need those runs as Redbird center fielder Lauren Bierwirth delivered a three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth. Freshman Claire DeVreese, in relief of starter Mary Miller (7-3), pitched out of two jams in the fifth and sixth en route to her second save of the season as Illinois State left the bases loaded in each inning. Fittingly it was Diller, who made perhaps the game saving play. With runners at first and second and two outs, Diller kept a ball hit into the hole at short in the infield, allowing the runners to advance just one base on an infield single. DeVreese got the next batter to ground right back to the circle for the final out.

It is significant that two of the heroes of the day were freshmen - Diller and DeVreese. "We're excited about our young players, but we don't see them as freshmen," Sullivan said. "We are also encouraged by the way our team trusts each other and works well together."

As far as getting out of two tough jams, Sullivan said, "We realize that especially against a quality opponent, it takes seven innings. We practice key situations all the time. It's nice to see it pay off in a game situation."

The Illini line-up, which hit .303 in the five games over the weekend at the Speedline Invitational, pounded out nine hits off of two Redbird pitchers. Jenna Hall and Julie Balicki had two hits apiece.

The Illini prepare for five games over the weekend at the Capital Classic in Sacramento, Calif., including one against #2 California. The home opener is just 21 days away, April 6 vs. Loyola.