Feb. 20, 2010
Illinois-Fresno State Box Score
Illinois-UC Riverside Box Score
STANFORD, Calif. - The Illinois softball team improved to 8-1 on the season on Saturday, outscoring its opponents 13-0 with two shutout victories at the Stanford Nike Invitational. The Illini defeated their first ranked opponent of the season in beating No. 17 Fresno State 5-0, then dominated UC Riverside with an 8-0 win in five innings.
Sophomore Monica Perry pitched the shutout victory against the Bulldogs, while freshman Pepper Gay won her third game of the season in defeating the Highlanders.
Illinois 5, #17 Fresno State 0
Illinois spread its offense across the lineup against Fresno State (6-1), as all six Illini hits were by different batters in the 5-0 victory. Perry shut out the Bulldogs in striking out six batters, scattering seven hits and giving up just one walk. Junior catcher Audrey Gallien had Illinois' biggest hit in the game with a two-RBI double in the fifth.
"Monica did a good job of keeping Fresno State off balance," assistant coach Katie O'Connell said. "They got on and they got their hits, but we did a great job of getting out of innings by shutting them down and making good plays on defense. Offensively, we were able to get runners on and move them over, which was an improvement from yesterday."
After Fresno State pitcher Morgan Melloh retired the first six Illini batters, the Orange and Blue offense took off in the third inning and opened up a 3-0 lead. Sophomore first baseman Meredith Hackett led off the inning with a single, while junior Ashley Conrad reached on a Bulldogs' error. Illinois' next three batters singled, as Danielle Zymkowitz and Hope Howell drove in the first two runs of the game to make the score 2-0. Jessica Davis drew a two-out walk with the bases loaded for Illinois' third run of the third.
The Illini took a 5-0 lead in the fifth, after Howell and Hollie Pinchback reached on a fielder's choice and single, respectively. Both runners scored on Gallien's double to left field, giving Illinois a five-run cushion heading into the sixth.
Fresno State got its leadoff batter on base in five different innings, but couldn't execute as Perry and the Illini defense clamped down. The Bulldog's best scoring chance came in the second, as they led off with a double and advanced the runner to third on a sacrifice bunt. Perry thwarted the opportunity by forcing a pop-out and striking out the inning's final batter. Pinchback then preserved the Illini shutout in the sixth, throwing out Haley Gilleland at home from left field after the Bulldogs loaded the bases with two outs.
Illinois 8, UC Riverside 0 (5)
Sophomore third baseman Kelley Wedel continued her hot start to the season, going 3-for-3 against UC Riverside (2-5) to propel Illinois to an 8-0 victory in five innings. Eight different Illini tallied a hit in the game, as Conrad hit a three-run homer and Pinchback was 2-for 4 with two RBIs.
"We came after them right off the bat," O'Connell said. "(Zymkowitz) set the tone by getting on base, and almost everyone in the lineup had a hit. Hitting is contagious, and that's what happened in the game. It was a good team win."
Illinois jumped on the Highlanders early, scoring all eight of its runs in the first three innings. The Illini led off with a three-run first, ignited by Zymkowitz reaching on an error and then stealing second. Howell followed with a single up the middle to score Zymkowitz, while Pinchback then doubled home Howell to make the score 2-0. With two outs, Wedel put the Orange and Blue up 3-0 by singling up the middle to drive in another run. Pinchback picked up her second RBI of the game in the second with a single that scored designated player Danielle Vaji to give Illinois a four-run lead.
In the third, the Illini strung together four consecutive hits to take an 8-0 advantage. Davis led off with a double, and came around to score after a Wedel single and a double by Hackett. Amy Lwin then came in to relieve UC Riverside starter Lauren Molina, but Conrad drove a ball over the left-field fence for a three-run homer.
Gay gave up back-to-back two out singles in the bottom of the fifth, but fouled out the Highlanders final batter to give Illinois the run-rule victory. The freshman pitcher gave up six hits and struck out three in her third win of the season.
Up Next: Illinois plays its fifth and final game at the Stanford Nike Invitational on Sunday in facing Nevada at 11 a.m. CT. Next weekend, the Illini head to Columbia, Ga. for the NFCA Leadoff Classic.
