CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – The Fighting Illini softball team ran into a talented Oregon squad on Sunday (Feb. 19) morning as the No. 9/7 Ducks defeated Illinois, 11-0, in five innings in the finale of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic at the Big League Dreams Softball Complex.
The Illini finish the weekend at 1-2 and move to 5-3 on the season.
"We knew from the onset that this was going to be one of our most challenging weekends on our schedule," said head coach Tyra Perry. "We showed some moments of championship mindset but failed to stay consistent in that behavior. We will use what we learned to make improvements in our overall game and start preparing for our next tournament."
The Ducks opened the scoring in the second with eight runs, highlighted by a three-run home run to centerfield and a three-run double down the left field line. UO added three runs in the fourth for the 11-0, five-inning final.
The Illini totaled five hits in the game, with the Ducks registering 11 hits and two errors. Seniors Nicole Evans and Ruby Rivera, junior Maddi Doane and sophomores Kiana Sherlund and Stephanie Abello each knocked a hit on the day.
Senior Breanna Wonderly (1-2) suffered the lost after giving up four runs on three hits and a walk in 1.1 innings of work. Junior Erin Walker, sophomore Taylor Edwards and freshman Akilah Mouzon each saw action in relief, with Mouzon making her Illini debut in the fifth inning, allowing just one run on two hits and striking out one in 1.0 inning of action.
The Illini continue nonconference tournament play with a trip to Georgia for the I-75 Challenge on Feb. 24-26. The Illini open the weekend taking on Georgia State in a doubleheader at 12 p.m. CT in Atlanta on Friday, before traveling northwest to face Kennesaw State in Kennesaw, Ga., in a doubleheader at 12 p.m. on Saturday. UI then wraps up the tournament a 12 p.m. contest against Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Sunday.
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