Feb. 28, 2010
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ga. - The Illinois softball team won the NFCA Leadoff Classic on Sunday, beating Arkansas 7-4 to complete a perfect 5-0 weekend. The Illini won their eighth straight game and improved to 14-1 on the season.
Illinois and No. 6 Missouri were the only teams to go undefeated at the 23-team Leadoff Classic, with the Orange and Blue being crowned champions due to their run differential over opponents. For the weekend, the Illini outscored their opponents 43-14 and posted a team batting average of .341 while hitting eight home runs. The NFCA Leadoff Classic is one of the elite tournaments in the country, as the Illini were able to come out on top against a loaded field that included No. 4 Michigan, No. 6 Missouri, No. 9 Alabama, No. 11 Georgia Tech, No. 18 Louisiana Lafayette, No. 20 UMass and No. 22 Florida State.
Sophomore third baseman Kelley Wedel and redshirt freshman shortstop Jessica Davis were both named to the NFCA Classic All-Tournament team for their performances over the weekend. Wedel batted .538 (7-for-13) for the tournament, leading the team in hits (7) and runs (7) while adding two doubles and a home run with a slugging percentage of .923. Davis hit .400 (6-for-15) with a slugging percentage of .867. The shortstop had two homers, including a walk-off against No. 22 Florida State on Friday.
"All 21 players on the team has had a part in the wins, whether it be a clutch hit, key pinch run or just bringing energy," assistant coach Katie O'Connell said. "Every day it seems to be a new person who rises up. We are getting a consistent core of hits each game, which keeps things rolling.
"We've won in all different ways, but we haven't played our best yet so it's good that we're still coming out on top. We have an off week coming up, so we need to continue to work on our defense and little things about the game that need to be there if our offense isn't. The team knows that they have to continue to work. They want to get better and be better than anyone else out there."
In the win over Arkansas (8-6), second baseman Danielle Zymkowitz was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Davis hit a crucial two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to turn a 5-4 Illini lead into a 7-4 advantage. On the mound, sophomore Monica Perry improved to 7-1 on the season, relieving starter Pepper Gay in the fourth.
The Illini got on the board first with a four-run second inning. Catcher Audrey Gallien led off with a double up the middle, with Wedel and Davis drawing walks off of Razorbacks' starter Layne McGuirt to load the bases. Centerfielder Ashley Conrad drove in a run on a fielder's choice to put Illinois up 1-0, while pinch runner Katie Lutes made it 2-0 after scoring from third on an Arkansas error. Zymkowitz slapped a two-RBI double up the middle for her first extra-base hit of the season, scoring Conrad and Wedel to give Illinois a 4-0 lead.
The Razorbacks got two runs back in the top of the third, as their first two batters got on base with a walk and a single, then advanced to second and third on a ground-out. Sandra Smith followed with a two-run double down the left field line, cutting the Illinois lead to 4-2.
Illinois got no hits in the third, but scored after Conrad drew the team's fourth walk of the inning to pick up an RBI and give the Illini a 5-3 advantage. The Razorbacks cut the score to 5-4 in the fifth, as their leadoff batter walked and Miranda Dixon hit a two-run homer off of Perry.
The Illini responded in the fifth, as Wedel hit a one-out single to left center and Davis followed with her third homer of the year off of Arkansas reliever Hope McLemore. Davis' bomb to left field put the Orange and Blue up 7-4, giving them back the momentum en route to their eighth straight victory.
Gay pitched the first three innings, striking out five and allowing two earned runs before being replaced by Perry, who gave up two earned runs and struck out three in four innings.
Illinois will now have over a week off from games after traveling to three consecutive weekend tournaments. Up next, the Orange and Blue head to Peoria, Ill. to face Bradley on Tuesday, March 9 at 6 p.m. before traveling to the Tiger Invite in Columbia, Mo. from March 12-14.
