URBANA, Ill. – The Illinois softball team dropped its Big Ten Conference series finale with No. 22 Michigan, 16-5, on a sunny Easter Sunday (April 21) at Eichelberger Field.
The Illini (27-17, 6-9 B1G) were led by redshirt-senior Carly Thomas with two hits and a run, while senior Veronica Ruelius added a hit, a run and three RBI.
In an action-packed opening inning, the Wolverines (33-11, 15-1 B1G) jumped out to an early 5-0 lead on an RBI double and back-to-back home runs. The Illini fought back in the bottom half of the inning as sophomore Bella Loya notched an RBI infield single, before Ruelius launched a three-run dinger – her seventh homer of the season - to left center to bring the home team within one at 5-4.
After both teams brought in a run in the third, UM used back-to-back long balls to pull ahead at 9-5, before posting a seven-run seventh to seal the 16-5 win.
Freshman Sydney Sickels (17-10) took the loss after allowing five runs on six hits and struck out two in 1.2 innings of work. Seniors Taylor Edwards (4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 3.0 IP) and Emily Oestreich (3 R, 2 ER, 1 K, 2.1 IP) and junior Akila Mouzon (4 R, 3 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 0.0 IP) also saw action.
Next Up
The Illini next head out for a five-game road swing - their final road trip of the regular season - starting with a doubleheader against No. 23/18/20 Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., on Tuesday (April 23), before traveling to Columbus, Ohio, for a three-game series at Ohio State on April 26-28.
For more Fighting Illini softball news, stay tuned to FIGHTINGILLINI.com and follow @IlliniSB on social media: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook.
