BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The ninth-seeded Illinois softball team put together a late-inning rally to earn a 6-4 come-from-behind win over eighth-seeded Nebraska in the first round of the Big Ten Softball Tournament on Thursday (May 9) at Andy Mohr Field.
The Illini, who improve to 32-22 with their fifth-straight win, advance to take on No. 1 seed Michigan in Friday's quarterfinal round at 12:30 p.m. CT.
"We played with heart and intent today," said head coach Tyra Perry. "We had a tough series against Nebraska earlier this year and it was great to see our team push through today and finish on top. Sydney Sickels was a competitor in the circle. Carly Thomas as always came through with a clutch hit in the fifth and we never looked back."
Redshirt-senior Annie Fleming and senior Kiana Sherlund led the way with two hits and two runs each, while Fleming adding an RBI in the win. Redshirt-senior Carly Thomas added a team-high three RBI, with seniors Veronica Ruelius and Alexis Carrillo and freshman Kailee Powell each posting two hits on the day.
Freshman Sydney Sickels (18-13) had a solid outing in the circle to earn the win, giving up three earned runs on seven hits and four walks and striking out six in 6.2 innings of work.
The Huskers (21-31) struck first with an RBI single in the third, but the Illini answered right back to tie things up on a Carrillo sacrifice fly in the fourth.
After a bases-loaded walk gave Nebraska a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the fourth, the Illini scored five unanswered runs, starting with a Thomas two-run double in the fifth to take a 3-2 edge. UI added three more runs in the seventh, highlighted a Fleming solo home run and RBIs from Thomas and Powell, to enter the bottom of the seventh holding a 6-2 advantage. The Huskers knocked a two-run homer to close within two, but the rally would fall short as the Powell grabbed a foul pop up to seal the victory.
Next Up
With the win, the Illini advance to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals to face No. 1 seed Michigan on Friday (May 10) at 12:30 p.m. CT at Andy Mohr Field. The game can be seen on Big Ten Network and fans can listen to the call on WDWS 1400.
For more Fighting Illini softball news, stay tuned to FIGHTINGILLINI.com and follow @IlliniSB on social media: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook.
