CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In the 2022 home opener for the Fighting Illini softball tea, Illinois dropped a pair of games to the No. 18/17 Missouri Tigers in the annual Braggin' Rights series.
Illinois nearly completed a miraculous comeback in game one, scoring five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to send the game to extra innings, but the Tigers were able to regain the lead in the top half of the eighth inning, and Illinois was not able to complete the comeback, falling 7-6 in eight innings. At the plate, sophomore Megan Ward tallied three hits and an RBI, while junior Delaney Rummell added two hits and a solo home run for the Illini.
Illinois dropped game two in five innings by a score of 10-2. After tying the game up at two through two innings, the Tigers used a six-run third inning to open the game up, adding two more runs in the fourth to seal the run-rule victory over the Illini.
GAME ONE | MISSOURI 7, ILLINOIS 6 (8 INN.)
Senior Sydney Sickels started the game striking out three Tiger hitters through three innings, while the Illini were unable to bring around a run in the games' first three.
Mizzou grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning on a two-run shot to left field, and Illinois threatened in the bottom half of the inning but nothing came of it.
The Tigers added another run to their lead in the top of the fifth inning on a solo shot to right center, but the Illini responded in the bottom half of the inning with a solo shot from Rummell. Mizzou added another run in the sixth on another solo home run, and two more in the seventh on a single and sac fly.
When the game looked all but over, the Illini bats heated up in the bottom half of the seventh. Danielle Davis led off with a double and advanced to third on a ground out, and was brought to the plate by a Kelly Ryono infield single. After the Tiger first baseman fielded an error, two runs came around to score making the game 6-4 in favor of Mizzou with one out.
Stevie Meade then singled, advancing Ward to second base, and senior Kailee Powell doubled in Ward to put the tying run at third base. A Bella Loya single up the middle scored Meade, tying the game at six and capping off a five-run seventh inning rally to force the game to extra frames.
In the eighth, Missouri regained the lead on a single, and freshman Lauren Wiles came to the circle and induced a double play from Rummell and a groundout to first to end the Tigers scoring in the eighth. Despite a two-out single from Ward, Illinois was unable to bring her to the plate, completing the game in favor of the Tigers by a score of 7-6.
GAME TWO | MISSOURI 10, ILLINOIS 2 (5 INN.)
In game two, Mizzou grabbed an early 2-0 lead after a leadoff solo home run and an RBI single. Illinois responded quickly in the bottom half of the first frame, with Meade launching a solo home run to left center and a Jaelyn Vickery single scored Powell, tying the game at two through a frame.
After each team went down in order in the second inning, Missouri tallied six runs in the top of the third inning to open an 8-2 lead through three. From there, Missouri added two more runs in the top half of the fourth inning, and Illinois was unable to bring around a runner on second in the bottom half of the fifth inning, sealing a 10-2 run-rule victory for Mizzou.
UP NEXT
Illinois returns to the field on Friday, March 18 to open the UGA Classic against Dartmouth. First pitch is set for 1:30 p.m. CT.
