LEESBURG, Fla. – The Illinois Fighting Illini softball team improved to 7-1 on Thursday following a pair of wins over Michigan State to kick off the second weekend in Leesburg, Fla. The Illini outscored the Spartans 16-5 on the afternoon while notching 19 hits and eight extra base hits. The Illinois pitching staff was also dominant, allowing no earned runs and striking out 19.
"I love the fight we showed today in both games," said head coach Tyra Perry. "I thought our hitters really battled when the game was on the line and we needed a clutch hit to score. Sydney Sickels and Tori McQueen went the distance for us and kept the Michigan State hitters off balance. Jaelyn Vickery's hot bat and fast feet were fun to watch. She is really starting to come into her own."
GAME ONE (Illinois 7, Michigan State 2)
Illinois jumped on the board first as Kailee Powell singled down the left field line, scoring Jaelyn Vickery in the top half of the third inning. Michigan State would respond with two runs, taking a 2-1 lead into the fourth.
The Illini were able to load the bases to begin the fourth as Bella Loya started the inning with a single down the left field line, followed by a double from Madison Demers to put runners in scoring position and no outs. Kelly Ryono was then hit by a pitch to load the bases, putting pressure on the Spartans and ultimately allowing the Illini to piece together a three-run inning.
Illinois scored three more runs in the top of the seventh as Kailee Powell picked up her second RBI of the game on a single to right field, scoring Vickery. Avrey Steiner scored on a wild pitch and Powell advanced to third, allowing Bella Loya to notch a SAC fly to left field, scoring Powell.
Sydney Sickels threw her second complete game of the season, shutting down the Spartan offense as she allowed no earned runs on just three hits while striking out a season-high 11 batters. Sickels is now 3-1 on the season following the win in game one.
GAME TWO (Illinois 9, Michigan State 3)
Addy Jarvis started her third game in the circle for the Illini, giving up no earned runs on three hits and striking out one in two innings of work. Michigan State scored three early runs in the first inning and held that lead for the first three innings of the game. Freshman Tori McQueen entered the game in the third and shut the Spartans down, throwing five innings and giving up just two hits while recording seven strikeouts. McQueen earned her first win of her Illini career in Thursday night's victory.
The Illini scored their first runs of the game in the third inning and the offense never looked back. Wingerter led off the inning with a triple, followed by a walk by Vickery. Powell crushed a two-run, two-RBI triple off the wall, scoring Vickery and Wingerter and putting the Illini on the board. Illinois would tie it with a single from Loya to score Powell and knot the score at three.
Vickery picked up two RBIs as she lined a ball to right field for her second triple of the day in the bottom of the fourth, putting Illinois on top, 5-3. The bats stayed hot for the Illini as they recorded four more runs in the last three innings.
UP NEXT
Illinois takes on Michigan State tomorrow, March 12 for the final game of the three-game series before a three-game series with Penn State beginning on Saturday.
