HOUSTON, Texas – The Illinois softball wrapped play at the Houston Invitational on Sunday (February 10), falling to Sam Houston State, 10-6, at Cougar Softball Stadium.
"Our defense did not show up today and it is tough to win games when you do not consistently make routine plays," said head coach Tyra Perry. "Our three wins were well fought out, but we definitely left two on the table. Now we know what we need to work on to become our best selves. We will get back to work on Tuesday and focus on doing the little things."
The Illini, who improve to 3-2 on the season, totaled nine hits, but committed five errors on the day, while the Bearkats (1-2) tallied 10 hits and one miscue. Sophomore Bella Loya led the Illini at the bat, going 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs.
Senior Emily Oestreich (2-1) took the loss after giving up two earned runs on three hits and a walk, while striking out one, with junior Akilah Mouzon (3.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 H), senior Danielle Brochu (0.1 IP, 1 ER, 0 H, 3 BB) and freshman Sydney Sickels (1.2 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 K) also seeing action.
The Bearkats took an early 3-0 advantage in the opening frame on a trio of hits and an Illini error, but sophomore Bella Loya answered back with a leadoff home run in the top of the second.
SHSU then added three unearned scores in the second on a deep double to centerfield to push its lead to 6-1, but the Illini continued to battle as back-to-back hits from senior Kiana Sherlund and redshirt-senior Carly Thomas and an RBI ground out from classmate Annie Fleming closed the gap to 6-3 in the third.
A second solo home run from Loya cut the deficit to 6-4 in the fourth, but SHSU responded with a pair of scores in the bottom half of the frame. A two-run double from senior Stephanie Abello in the top of the fifth again brought the Illini within two at 8-6, but another two scores in the bottom of the frame sealed the 10-6 win for SHSU.
Next Up
The Illini next head to Atlanta, Georgia for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, hosted by Georgia Tech on Friday-Sunday, February 15-17, at Mewborn Field.
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