April 11, 2015
College Park, Md. - In a back-and-forth battle, the Fighting Illini clinched their third straight Big Ten series with a 14-8 victory over the University of Maryland. The Terps were the first to score, but the Illini matched every Maryland run in the following half inning to claim their fifth-straight win and ninth in the past 10 outings. At the end of the day, Illinois sits at 17-21 (7-4 Big Ten), while Maryland drops to 23-18 (5-6 Big Ten).
The Fighting Illini matched their season high for the fourth time with 18 hits in the game, including three players with three hits apiece. Alyssa Gunther was solid at the top of the lineup, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, three runs and a sacrifice fly, while Nicole Evans was 3-for-5 with two home runs and five RBIs. She finished the day tied for second all time at Illinois with a Big Ten-leading 16 homers on the season.
Carly Thomas also went 3-for-5, collecting two doubles, while Leigh Farina was clutch off the bench hitting 2-for-4 with two runs and the game-tying RBI. Brittany Sanchez and Kylie Johnson each had two hits in the game, and Jess Perkins put the game away with a three-run home run in the seventh.
Shelese Arnold got the starting nod in the circle for Illinois, but after controlling the pace of the game early, left with the Illini trailing 8-7, allowing nine hits and four walks over four and two-thirds innings. Jade Vecvanags (11-8) relieved her in the bottom of the fifth and tossed two-and-a-third scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, to capture her Big Ten-leading seventh win in conference play.
"This was absolutely our most significant team win of the year," said head coach Terri Sullivan. "That is first because so many of our players stepped up throughout the course of the game. Just one example of that is when Coley (Evans) tied the game right back up (in the third). Every half inning we responded. More importantly, we had Shey and T (Tobon) step in and do good things for us. Shey threw some aggressive pitches, and T really blocked well and was vocal.
"Leigh is a smooth ball player and came in and made key contributions on offense and defense at critical times. I could go on and mention every player on this team today. They are really a together group."
Maryland hurlers Hannah Dewey (4-8) and Kaitlyn Schmeiser, who both appeared in the Terrapins' starting lineup, swapped back and forth between pitcher and first base throughout the game, as Maryland head coach Courtney Scott Deifel sought to take advantage of handedness (Dewey is left-handed, Schmeiser is a righty) while keeping the Illini on their toes. Nonetheless, the Illini proved successful against both pitchers, taking Dewey for eight runs, five earned, on 10 hits over a total of three innings pitched, while Schmeiser surrendered the remaining six runs, five earned, on eight hits with four strikeouts in four innings. Evans took both Terps yard.
The bottom of the Terrapin batting order was most prolific, as eighth-batter Juli Strange went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs, while Kylie Datil hit 2-for-3 with a solo shot from the nine hole.
Maryland scored first in the bottom of the first, as Lindsey Schmeiser led off with a double to left center. Hannah Dewey walked, and the pair worked a double steal to get into scoring position. Erin Pronobis came through with a single to right, but after Schmeiser crossed the plate, Sanchez gunned down Dewey at home, and an inning-ending double play held the Terps to a single run in the opening frame.
The Illini tied the score in the top of the second, as Thomas doubled to left and Sanchez drove her in with a single up the middle.
The Terps took back the lead in the bottom of the second, scoring three runs on three hits. Corey Schwartz got it started with a single that took a nasty hop off Ruby Rivera at short, leading the Illini sophomore to head to the bench for the first time in her career and be replaced by Leigh Farina. After a walk and a wild pitch, Juli Strange put Maryland back ahead with an RBI single to left. Arnold got the hot-hitting Lindsey Schmeiser to pop up with the bases loaded for out number two, but Dewey came through with an RBI single to center and a wild pitch made it 4-1 Maryland.
The Orange and Blue fought right back in the top of the third, as Gunther led off with a double, and after Nicole Tobon walked, Evans crushed a three-run bomb to center to knot the score at four.
Maryland left the bases loaded in the bottom of the third, and the Illini used the momentum to take their first lead in the top of the fourth. Annie Fleming led off with a double to the warning track in left, and Johnson followed with an infield single. Gunther laced a sinking liner to left center; Schmeiser made a great diving catch, but Fleming tagged up from third to put Illinois in front, and an unearned run off the bat of Farina made it 6-4 Illini.
The Illini tacked on another run in the top of the fifth with Evans' second homer of the game, this one a leadoff blast to right center, to make it 7-4.
Back-to-back home runs gave Maryland back the lead in the bottom of the fifth, as a three-run blast by Strange tied the score at seven, and a solo shot by Datil put the Terps on top, 8-7. Vecvanags then took over in the circle, and after a pair of walks, struck out Pronobis to finish out the fifth.
The Terps were not in front for long, as the Illini came right back for a four spot in the top of the sixth on five hits and two errors. Singles by Johnson and Gunther helped load the bases with no outs, and RBI singles by Farina, Evans and Sanchez jumped the Orange and Blue ahead, 11-8.
After a perfect bottom of the sixth for Vecvanags, Perkins put the game away in the top of the seventh with a three-run homer to center field, securing the Illini a 14-8 victory.
Next Up: The Illini go for the sweep on Sunday, April 12, returning to Maryland Softball Stadium for the final game of the Big Ten series at 1 p.m. ET (Noon CT).
