April 1, 2006

Box Score

Urbana, Ill. - "I like the fight I saw, our focus now is coming out in the first inning ready," said Illinois Head Coach Terri Sullivan following Saturday's 7-4 loss to Iowa. For the second straight game, the visiting Hawkeyes produced two home runs and five total runs in the first inning. This time, though, the Illini battled to within 5-4 before the Hawkeyes closed the door.

Iowa (20-12, 2-0) got four hits in the first inning, but reliever Claire DeVreese held the Hawkeyes to just three more the rest of the way. Iowa, once again used the strategy of walking slugger Jenna Hall intentionally each time up; the Illini did have some success once following that decision.

In the top of the first, however, Illinois (13-17, 0-2), as the visiting team on the scoreboard, left the bases loaded. Iowa responded with five runs in the bottom of the inning. Stacy May led off with a solo shot to center. One out later Emily Nichols poked one over the fence in left-center. The other three runs of the inning were the result of some uncharacteristic sloppy play on the Illini's part with two costly errors.

Unlike Friday night when Illinois managed just two hits in a 9-0 defeat, Saturday the Illini responded right away. Courtney Hoogeveen (2-for-3, run) reached on a bunt single to lead off the second, then Rachelle Coriddi sent a line shot over the right fielder's head for a stand-up run scoring triple.

After a lead-off intentional walk to Hall to start the fifth, Brittany Weil (13-7), pitching for the second day in a row, hit Shanna Diller with a pitch. The next batter, Kisten Martin, turned on a pitch and drilled it over the right field fence for a three-run home run to bring Illinois to within 5-4.

"I knew I got it all," Martin said afterward. "I was hoping that would get a spark going."

"Kisten was a hungry hitter," Sullivan said. "You could see the look in her eyes."

Iowa extended the lead on a two-out RBI single from catcher Sami Baugh in the bottom of the fifth. In the sixth, Coriddi walked with one out. The Hawkeyes, then put Hall, representing the tying run, on base with two outs, but got out of the inning unscathed.

Colleen McLaughlin's first homer of the season in the bottom of the seventh made it 7-4 Iowa, and Weil then retired the side in order, which included her seventh strikeout of the game.

"Big Ten games are battles and we love it," Sullivan said. "We know we have hitters who can take advantage and produce in big situations. We need to come out tomorrow ready to go and show what we can do."

The Illini host Wisconsin on Sunday for a doubleheader beginning at noon.