HOUSTON, Texas –Illinois softball split its opening day at the Houston Tournament, topping Sam Houston, 8-0, in five innings but falling to Houston, 9-3, at Cougar Softball Stadium.
GAME ONE
Sydney Sickels was dealing on Friday, throwing a two-hit shutout to lead Illinois over Sam Houston (5-8), 8-0.
Sickels went the distance for Illinois (6-4), giving up two hits, walking one and striking out seven when improving to 4-0 on the season.
Danielle Davis was a force offensively for the Fighting Illini, going 1-for-2 in the ballgame with a home run, a walk and two RBI. Megan Ward added a home run and two RBI of her own in the five-inning triumph. Sydney Malott went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and an RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Fighting Illini took the lead in the first, when Davis left the yard with senior Avrey Steiner aboard.The two-run homer marked the redshirt seniors first of the year.
Ward plated a run in the second frame, extending the 3-0 Illini advantage. A sacrifice fly and an error added a pair of runs, putting Illinois ahead 5-0 heading to the fourth.
After a scoreless fourth for both teams, an error extended the 6-0 edge for the Orange and Blue. Malott logged a double, scoring Stevie Meade on the play, before Ward's first homer of the year capped off the Illini's 8-0 efforts in the tournament opener.
GAME NOTES
» Illinois wore navy jerseys and moves to 2-1 when wearing those.
» The Fighting Illini out-hit the Bearkats at an 8-2 clip.
» Illinois went 3-for-10 (.300) with runners in scoring position.
» Illinois pitchers limited Sam Houston to just 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
» The game marked the first time this year two Illini players have gone deep in a contest.
» The two hits by the Bearkats was the fewest allowed by Sickels this year.
» Illinois improved to 4-1 against Sam Houston.
» The Orange and Blue hold a 5-2 record in day games.
GAME TWO
Illinois fell to Houston, 9-3, at Cougar Softball Stadium in the final contest of the day at the Houston Tournament.
Offensively, Delaney Rummell went 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Fighting Illini (6-5) in the Cougars (8-4) on Friday.
In the circle, Tori McQueen took the loss, going 3.2 innings while allowing four runs on six hits while striking out a pair.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Trailing 2-0 after the first inning, the Fighting Illini cut the deficit in half in the following frame. Abby Ryniec tallied an RBI single, scoring senior Brianna Nykaza from third on the play.
The Fighting Illini deficit grew to 4-1 before the offense got back on the scoreboard in the fifth inning. Illinois scored on an RBI single off the bat of Kelly Ryono, which brought the score to 4-2 in favor of the Cougars.
Houston expanded their lead to 9-2 when they added a five-run sixth inning. Down to their final three outs, the Fighting Illini scored on an RBI single off the bat of Rummell. Despite the late rally, the Illini fell to Houston, 9-3, in the night contest.
GAME NOTES
» Illinois wore navy jerseys and moved to 2-2 when wearing those.
» The Illini went 4-for-9 (.444) with runners in scoring position.
» Illinois moved to 2-3 when the opponents scores first.
» The Orange and Blue hold a 1-2 mark when opponents score in the opening frame.
» Illinois dropped to 5-3 against Houston.
» The Illini fell to 1-3 in night games.
Illinois continues the Houston Tournament with a game against Houston Christian and a rematch with the Cougars on Saturday.
