Waco, Texas – The Illinois softball team received a masterful performance from sophomore Addy Jarvis in a 1-0 win over Texas State, before falling 5-1 to host Baylor on the opening day of the Baylor Invitational on Friday (February 21) at Getterman Stadium.
"We took on two strong programs and finished 1-1 on the day," said head coach Tyra Perry. "I was proud of our solid defensive play behind Addy Jarvis in the day's first game. She was masterful in the circle."
"We worked hard to take the lead in our second game against Baylor, but had a few miscues on defense that hurt us in the end. We are a young team that is learning and growing with each pitch. Now it is time to refocus and come out strong against Tulsa tomorrow."
Illinois 1, Texas State 0
Junior Bella Loya led off the second with a solo home run – her first of the season – to put the Illini (6-4) ahead at 1-0 and it would be all Jarvis needed as the sophomore was dynamite in the circle.
Jarvis (4-1) allowed just one hit – a single in the bottom of the second inning – and three walks and registered a season-high 11 strikeouts in 6.1 innings of work en route to a shutout victory. Sophomore Sydney Sickels added her fourth save of the season after entering in the bottom of the seventh with a runner on first and notched back-to-back outs, capped with a swinging strikeout to secure the win.
The Illini knocked six hits in the contest, with junior Maddison Demers posting a 2-for-3 effort at the plate.
Baylor 5, Illinois 1
It was a pitcher's duel early against the Bears (10-2) as neither team registered a hit until the fourth inning and it was not until the sixth inning that the Illini broke through with the go-ahead run. After back-to-back singles from junior Rhein Trochim and sophomore Avrey Steiner, freshman Delaney Rummell drove in Trochim with an RBI sacrifice fly to right field.
The Bears then answered back in the bottom of the inning as they capitalized on three Illini errors to score five unearned runs and would go on for the 5-1 win.
Sophomore Sydney Sickels (2-3) took the loss after giving up four unearned runs on three hits and striking out five in 5.1 innings, while freshman Morgan Scivally allowed one unearned run on one hit in 0.2 frames of action.
Next Up
The Illini continues play at the Baylor Invitational on Saturday (Feb. 22) as they take on Tulsa at 10 a.m. CT in Getterman Stadium.
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