CHICAGO, Ill.-Â In their final road midweek game of the season, the Fighting Illini softball team was powered by 11 hits and a one-hitter from Tori McQueen to down DePaul 6-1 Wednesday afternoon at Cacciatore Stadium.
Sophomore left-hander Tori McQueen was nearly un-hittable Wednesday afternoon, tossing her sixth complete game of the season allowing just one hit, a solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, and two walks while striking out eight batters. At the plate, senior Avrey Steiner and redshirt junior Danielle Davis both had a 2-for-3 day with an RBI, while sophomore Megan Ward notched two RBI on a single. Graduate student Bella Loya and senior Kailee Powell also notched RBI in the game.
"I thought we came out swinging today and the aggressive mindset worked in our favor. DePaul is a really good team with top level coaches. Their hitters can truly hit for power. It's always good to get a win against an in state rival" head coach Tyra Perry said.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a quick 1-2-3 inning from McQueen in the first and second, the Illini offense wasted no time getting on the board tallying two runs on three hits in the top of the second. Delaney Rummell led off the inning with a single and stole second to get into scoring position. A bunt-single from Loya moved Rummell to third, and Powell was able to bring Rummell to the plate with a sacrafice fly. With Loya now on third, Davis legged out an infield single to score another run for the Illini, leaving the lead at 2-0 through two innings.
McQueen added two more K's in the third and worked around a leadoff walk in the fourth to keep the Blue Demons at bay. The Illini then exploded for four runs in the top of the fifth, tallying another three hits. Davis led off with a single and Lakyn Wagoner entered to run for her. Jaelyn Vickery then reached on a throwing error by the second baseman, allowing Wagoner to move to third and Vickery to second. Steiner then laid down a bunt down the third base line where a throw was made to home trying to get Wagoner out, but she was able to sneak around the tag and add another run for the Illini. Steiner stole second, and Ward stepped up and knocked a single up the middle to score another two runs for the Illini, and an RBI groundout from Loya moved the score to 6-0 through five innings.
With a commanding six-run lead, McQueen was able to strike out the side in the sixth and leave herself three outs away from a no-no. She got two quick outs in the seventh on a fly out and foul out, but a Blue Demon batter launched a solo home run to left center, denying the no-hitter and the shutout. McQueen was able to get the final out on a ground out to third, sealing the Illini's 6-1 victory.Â
UP NEXT
The Illini will hit the road for the final time in the regular season and face their penultimate Big Ten opponent this weekend, traveling to Bloomington, Ind. this weekend for a three-game set with the Hoosiers.Â
