COLUMBIA, Mo. -Â In the first elimination game of the Columbia Regional, the Fighting Illini softball team were downed by Missouri State 2-0 Saturday evening at Mizzou Softball Stadium.
At the plate, Illinois' only hit of the day came from senior Avrey Steiner, a single in the fourth inning. In the circle, senior Sydney Sickels tossed all six innings for the Illini and gave up just two runs on three hits, striking out eight batters, but took the loss to drop to 12-10 on the season. For the Bears, a two-run home run from Olivia Krehbiel was the only scoring of the day for either team, while conference pitcher of the year Steffany Dickerson tossed a complete-game, one hit shutout with five strikeouts, earning the win and improving to 22-8 on the season.
Illinois concludes the 2022 season with a 34-22 overall record and a third place finish in the Big Ten with a 15-7 conference mark. Illinois placed six players on the All-Big Ten teams this season (Avrey Steiner, Sydney Sickels, Kailee Powell, Paige Berkmeyer, Stevie Meade, Lauren Wiles), while Sickels and Steiner earned NFCA All-Region honors. The Illini had their highest conference finish under head coach Tyra Perry, and earned their fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament under Perry.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a pitchers duel through the first inning and a half as both teams went down in order, while the Bears threatened to score in the bottom of the second with a double and a walk, but were turned away by Sickels.
Missouri State found their two runs in the third inning off of a two-run home run, but the Illini looked to bounce back quickly in the fourth with a leadoff single from Steiner. Two-straight fielder's choice outs put Kelly Ryono on first base, where she stole second to move into scoring position, but she was stranded to end the inning.
Missouri State again threatened in the fifth and the sixth, but Sickels was able to strike out a batter for the second out in the sixth and Bella Loya caught a runner stealing for a double play to bring the Illini to the plate in the seventh looking for a rally. Illinois was sat down in order in the seventh, finishing the game and the season for the Fighting Illini.
