March 17, 2010
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URBANA, Ill. - Illinois opened its home season at Eichelberger Field in exciting fashion on Wednesday, beating in-state rival Illinois State 8-7 in a back-and-forth contest. The Illini were able to take advantage of ISU miscues, scoring four unearned runs on five Redbirds' errors, including the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth. The Orange and Blue continue their best start in program history, moving to 17-2 for the season.
Offensively, catcher Audrey Gallien was 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, home run and three RBIs. Leftfielder Hope Howell and third baseman Kelley Wedel each had two hits, with Wedel picking up two RBIs.
"We knew going into this game that every time we play Illinois State is a battle," associate head coach Donna DiBiase said. "This is the type of fight we thought it would be, as ISU is a team that keeps coming after you. I'm happy how we handled the pressure when they put runs on the board. We kept coming at them, took advantage of their mistakes and got it done."
The Illini opened up a 4-0 advantage over the Redbirds (10-10) in the first inning, as ISU starter Chrissy Burton was replaced by Megan Warner after getting just one out through the first six UI batters. Second baseman Danielle Zymkowitz led off the game with a walk and advanced to second after a Howell single up the middle. Wedel followed by reaching on an ISU error, as Zymkowitz scored the first run of the game. Another error put the Illini up 2-0, with shortstop Jessica Davis reaching on a fielder's choice and Howell scoring on a throwing error. Gallien then got the Illinois crowd on its feet by ripping a two-out double to center field, driving in two runs and giving the home team the 4-0 lead.
The Redbirds cut their deficit to 4-1 in the second, as Beth Current doubled to center field off of Illini starter Monica Perry to drive in a run. Gallien's home run came in the bottom of the third, as she sent a rocket over the center field fence to put Illinois up 5-1. It was the catcher's team-leading fifth long ball of the year.
In the fourth, ISU cut the lead to 5-2 with a single up the middle by Lauren Kellar that scored Current from second. The Illini came right back in their half of the fourth, however, taking a 6-2 lead. Back-to-back infield singles by designated player Danielle Vaji and Zymkowitz followed by a one-out single to left field by Wedel gave the Illini another run.
Redbirds' shortstop Niki Stansell made the score 6-4 in the top of the fifth with a two-run homer to center off of Perry. Illinois State kept it interesting by giving up another unearned run in the bottom of the fifth, as UI centerfielder Ashley Conrad reached on an error and Davis scored for a 7-4 Illini lead.
ISU tied the game at 7-7 in the sixth on a three-run homer by third baseman Abby Olson. Freshman Pepper Gay replaced Perry on the mound to start the inning, but allowed a walk and a single before giving up the long ball. Freshman Jackie Guy eventually replaced Gay to get the Redbirds' third out of the inning, getting a big strikeout. Conrad made what may have been the defensive play of the season for Illinois in the sixth, with a diving catch in centerfield to steal a hit from Kellar for the first out of the inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, Howell led off with a double to right center and Wedel followed with a double to left field, giving the Illini runners on second and third with no outs. After a walk by first baseman Meredith Hackett, Davis reached on a fielder's choice as Howell scored the go-ahead run on an Illinois State error. The Illini were unable to tack on any more runs with the bases loaded, but entered the seventh with an 8-7 lead. Guy earned her first career win in pitching the seventh, giving up a leadoff single but showing poise by getting a strike out and two pop-ups to preserve the win.
Perry struck out six batters through the first five innings, moving her season total to 54 strikeouts. Warner (4-3) took the loss for ISU.
Up Next: Illinois has a quick turnaround for the weekend, leaving tomorrow morning for the USF-The Game Tournament in Clearwater, Fla., from March 19-21. The Illini open up the weekend by playing Florida Gulf Coast and Florida Atlantic on Friday afternoon.
