URBANA, Ill. – Illinois softball dropped both games of Saturday afternoon's doubleheader with Minnesota at Eichelberger Field. The Illini, who hit three home runs on the afternoon, were defeated 5-1 in game one and 9-5 in game two. Illinois is now 10-5 on the season following the pair of losses on Saturday.
GAME ONE (Minnesota 5, Illinois 1)
The Gophers struck first in the top of the first inning, taking a 1-0 lead on a walk and a pair of passed balls, allowing the base runner to get to third. A single through the right side would plate the first run of the day for the Gophers.
Illinois answered in the bottom of the first as Bella Loya doubled to left center with two outs, followed by an RBI single to right field by Jaelyn Vickery to score Loya and knot the game.
Minnesota put runners on second and third in the top of the third inning before hitting a three-run home run to centerfield to put the Gophers on top, 4-1. The following inning, the Gophers extended their lead with a solo home run to go up 5-1.
Loya got the Illini started with a walk to lead off the home half of the seventh inning, followed by another walk to put Vickery on base and runners on first and second with no outs. Maddison Demers crushed a double off the left field wall in the next at bat allowed the Illini to get runners on second and third, but a baserunning error caused the first out of the inning and no runs scored on the play. The Illini were unable to rally, falling to the Gophers in game one, 5-1.
Addy Jarvis pitched a complete game for the Illini, allowing five runs on seven hits while striking out four. Jarvis is now 3-1 on the season.
GAME TWO (Minnesota 9, Illinois 5)
Minnesota was first to score again in game two as a solo home run in the top of the second inning put the Gophers up 1-0. Kailee Powell put the Illini in front with her second home run of the year in the bottom of the third, a two-run shot to center field, scoring Avrey Steiner who reached on a double to center field.
The Gophers put two more on the board in the top of the fourth as a pair of errors by the Illini allowed Minnesota to take a 3-2 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth. In the home half of the frame, Katie Wingerter tied the game at three with a solo shot to center field, her first of the season.
Bella Loya got involved with the home run action in the bottom of the fifth, crushing a two-run home run to left field, scoring Powell who reached by getting hit by a pitch. The Illini took a 5-3 lead into the sixth inning, when the Gophers would respond with three runs in the top half of the inning to make it a 6-5 game.
Minnesota pushed across four more runs in the top of the seventh inning, extending their lead to 9-5, before the Illini went down in order in the home half of the seventh.
Tori McQueen pitched 7.0 innings for the Illini, giving up six earned runs while striking out four.
UP NEXT
The Illini are back at Eichelberger Field for the final game of the four-game series with the Gophers. First pitch is four the series finale is at 12 pm CT.
