BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -Â In the longest game of the season for the Illini, all scoring came in the final and 11th inning of the series finale between the Illini and the Hoosiers, with Indiana taking the game 3-2.
Illinois (32-17, 14-5 B1G) still took the series against the Hoosiers (26-19, 9-11 B1G) after taking game one Friday and game two Saturday. Senior pitcher Sydney Sickels tossed 10.2 innings in the game and struck out 11 batters but took the loss, dropping to 11-8 overall on the season, while Natalie Foor of the Hoosiers pitched just 0.2 innings in the game and earned the win to imrpove to 1-3 despite 10.1 innings from Hoosier starter Heather Johnson.
At the plate, senior Avrey Steiner went 4-for-5 in the game, while both Kailee Powell and Bella Loya added both Illini runs in the 11th. Delaney Rummell also added two hits in the contest.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a pitchers duel through the first five innings, with each team leaving runners on base while Sickels tallied five strikeouts. Illinois found their best scoring chance in the sixth after Steiner led off the inning with a single and advanced to third on two straight groundouts, but she was stranded 60 feet away after a fly out ended the inning. The Hoosiers went down in order in their half of the sixth, while Illinois got the pinch runner Miranda Gallardo on second after a hit by pitch by Powell and a groundout, but she was stranded in scoring position. Sickels then sat down two batters via strikeout and a groundout sent the game to extra innings, still scoreless.
In the eighth, Danielle Davis reached base on an error and Gabi Robles came in to pinch run, and a bunt single from Steiner put two runners on base with none out. A fly out and a fielders choice kept the runners at first and second with two away, but a groundout to the pitcher ended Illinois' chances in the first inning of extras. The Hoosiers were again sat down in order in the eighth and ninth by Sickels, and Illinois found another chance to push a run across in the ninth after a leadoff single from Rummell and a Hoosier error off the bat of Loya, placing runners on the corners with one away. The Hoosiers then turned a double play on a fly out that also nabbed the runner at first, sending the game to double-digit innings to the 10th.
Illinois found another hit in the 10th from Steiner, but she was unable to come around to score after two fly outs. Indiana in the bottom of the inning then got the first two runners on base via hit by pitch, and a sacrafice bunt advanced the runners 60 feet and put them on second and third with just one out. Indiana was then able to execute a squeeze bunt that scored the winning run, but the Hoosiers made a lineup mistake when they re-entered a player that never went into the game, batting out of order and negating their winning run. Indiana still had runners on second and third with two outs after the lineup fiasco, but Sickels was able to catch the batter swinging for her eleventh strikeout of the afternoon to send the game to the 11th inning.
In the 11th, Kelly Ryono was able to smack a double to right field to leadoff, and a Rummell single put runners on the corners with no outs. After Rummell stole second, Powell was able to slap a single to right field to score the first run of the game and put the Illini on top 1-0. With runners on the corners still with no outs, Loya was also able to knock a single to right field to score another run, putting Illinois up 2-0, but Powell was thrown out trying to extend to third on the play, leaving Loya at first with one out. After a Hoosier pitching change, the next two Illini batters went down and sent the game to the bottom of the 11th with Illinois holding the first lead of the game.Â
In the bottom half of the 11th, the Hoosiers got to work quickly with a leadoff single, hit by pitch, and another single loaded the bases with no outs. Illinois was able to get a force out at the plate from the next batter, and a popout to Powell at first for the second out put Illinois just one out away from a marathon victory. However, the next Hoosier batter was able to smack a bases-clearing double to center field, scoring three runs and giving the Hoosiers the 3-2 win in their home finale.
UP NEXT
Illinois will wrap up the regular season this week with four games at Eichelberger Field. Western Illinois comes to Urbana on Wednesday (May 4) for a 5:00 p.m. CT first pitch, while the Illini will host Penn State in their final Big Ten action of the regular season from Friday-Sunday, May 6-8, with the series finale on Sunday airing live on the Big Ten Network.
