March 20, 2011
Illinois-#4 Washington Box Score | Illinois-Long Beach State Box Score
FULLERTON, Calif. - Lockdown pitching outings from Jackie Guy and Pepper Gay were not enough to push the Illini past #4 Washington or Long Beach State as Illinois softball dropped both ends of Sunday's doubleheader. Guy and Gay combined to earn a 1.00 ERA on the day, holding the Huskies and 49ers to two earned runs over 14 innings of work; however, Washington prevailed, 3-2, before Illinois dropped its game against Long Beach State, 1-0.
"Coming into the day we could have given ourselves an excuse for not coming out and being able to compete," Illinois head coach Terri Sullivan said. "We played until after midnight last night but the team was resilient, especially against the fourth-ranked team in the nation [Washington], and what we saw was outstanding pitching performances. All of Jackie and Pepper's pitches were working and that is obviously great heading into the Big Ten and mid-week schedule.
Game One: #4 Washington 3, Illinois 2 (9 inn.)
Danielle Zymkowitz staked Illinois to a 1-0 lead in the third inning, doubling to left field, while the West Hills, Calif., native advanced to third on an error by the Washington outfield. Prior to Zymkowitz's double, Alex Booker reached on a single with one out before racing home during the senior second baseman's two-base hit.
After the Huskies responded with one tally in the bottom of the third, the score remained tied until the sixth inning when the Illini again earned a one-run lead. Zymkowitz led off the frame with a bunt single, advancing to second when Danielle Vaji reached first on an error by Washington's shortstop, Jenn Salling. Both runners moved up one base on a passed ball before Meredith Hackett earned an RBI ground out to second to put Illinois in the lead, 2-1.
Washington was able to rally once again, tying the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth. With neither team recording a run in the seventh inning, the Illini played their first extra-innings contest since downing Minnesota, 2-1, in eight frames on May 3, 2009 - a span of 76 consecutive games.
The Huskies ended the contest by pushing across a runner in the bottom of the ninth on a bases-loaded single by Kimi Pohlman. Guy pitched her second complete game of the Judi Garman Classic, holding the explosive Washington offense to only one earned run. For the tournament, Guy totaled a 0.47 ERA - allowing one earned run in 15 innings of work while setting down 15 batters on strikes.
"Jackie and Stephanie Cuevas were impressive against an outstanding offensive team with College World Series experience," Sullivan said. "Their game does a lot to show what our pitching staff is capable of. We didn't make all the routine plays though and eventually that will cost you against a great team like Washington."
Game Two: Long Beach State 1, Illinois 0
The Orange and Blue finished competition in Fullerton, Calif., with a 1-0 loss to Long Beach State to close Judi Garman Classic play with a 2-3 record. Gay held the 49ers to one earned run on four hits while striking out five without allowing a walk. Facing off against Long Beach State, Gay lowered her 2011 season ERA to 2.68 while throwing her eighth complete game of the year.
"Against Long Beach State, Pepper rolled right into the second game after the tough loss to Washington, came out and gave us another great pitching performance," Sullivan said. "We need pitching this time of year and our staff has arrived and shown its capabilities. We have to give credit to Long Beach State because we couldn't get anything going. We needed two out and timely hits and didn't get them."
Long Beach State struck for the only run of the contest in the bottom of the sixth inning. With two outs and a runner on third, Nalani St. Germain singled to left field to bring in the deciding run. Despite being held to one hit, a single by Zymkowitz to lead off the sixth, the Illini were not without scoring opportunities. The Orange and Blue loaded the bases with no one out in the first inning but we unable to push across a run. Seven frames later, Kelley Wedel walked to open the final inning and moved to second on a sacrifice by Jessica Davis. Wedel went to third on a groundout before Cuevas walked to put runners on the corners with two outs; however, Ashley Conrad popped out to second to end the game.
Up Next: The Illini (11-12 overall) will play their first games in the state of Illinois as the Orange and Blue travel to Southern Illinois (16-9) on March 23 followed by a game at Eastern Illinois (15-5) on March 24. The Illini will open Big Ten play and competition on Eichelberger Field against Michigan State (18-10) on March 26-27.
