URBANA, Ill. -- [12] Illinois used a six-run third inning en route to an 8-4 victory over [5] Wisconsin in the first round of the Big Ten Softball Tournament at Eichelberger Field on Wednesday night.
The Illini improved to 29-26 overall on the season with the win, while the Badgers dropped to 27-20 with the defeat.
Lauren Wiles earned the start and allowed two runs in their one inning of work. Entering the game with no outs in the bottom of the second inning, Addy Jarvis went to work and dominated, allowing two runs and four hits in their 5.1 innings of relief. Tori McQueen closed out the Illini victory with two strikeouts in their 0.2 innings in the seventh.
Danielle Davis drove in a team-high five runs, including a grand slam that capped off the six-run Illini third inning. Avrey Steiner, Kailee Powell, and Delaney Rummell all recorded multi-hit games, with Steiner leading the way with three base knocks. Kelly Ryono, Stevie Meade, and Sydney Malott all registered RBIs in the middle of the batting order.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Wisconsin opened the scoring with an RBI double in the bottom half of the first inning, and the Badgers doubled their lead in the second with a leadoff home run.
The Illini bats got going in the top of the third inning. Steiner led off the frame with an opposite-field single, while a Powell walk and a Wisconsin wild pitch put two Illinois baserunners in scoring position with no outs.
Meade cut the Illini deficit in half with a sacrifice fly to center field, and a two-out RBI infield single from Malott knotted the game at two apiece. A Rummell single and Ward walk loaded the bases, before Davis sent the crowd into a frenzy with a grand slam into the warm spring night. The home run, the team's second grand slam of the season, put Illinois ahead, 6-2, and capped a six-run Illini third inning.
After Jarvis got out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom half of the third, the Badgers cut into their deficit with a solo home run to center field to lead off the frame in the fourth. Through four innings, Illinois held onto a 6-3 advantage.
Illinois loaded the bases in the top half of the fifth inning, and Davis recorded their fifth RBI of the night on a groundout. Wisconsin responded with a run of its own in the home half of the frame, registering its fourth run of the night via an RBI double. With Badger runners on second and third with no outs, Jarvis recorded three straight outs to limit the damage to just one run.
Leading by three heading into the top of the sixth, the Illini used three straight singles to push another run across, with Ryono driving in her team-leading 48th run of the season to extend the lead to 8-4.
With Wisconsin threatening in the home half of the frame, Rummell made an acrobatic catch to end the inning.
After Illinois left one baserunner stranded in the top half of the seventh, McQueen ended the Badger threat with back-to-back strikeouts to end the game and send the Illini into the next round of the conference tournament.
GAME NOTES
» Illinois wore grey jerseys, moving to 7-6 while donning those.
» The Illini improved to 5-19 when allowing the opposition to score first.
» When allowing their opponent to score in the first, Illinois is now 3-14.
» Illinois moved to 33-22 all-time against Wisconsin.
» Illinois moved to 11-10 at home this year.
» Jarvis improved to 6-4 in the circle.
» Davis hit her fifth homer of the year and the team's second grand slam of the year.
» Powell extend her reached base streak to 14 games.
» Davis added her first game with five or mor RBI, joining Ryono as the only other Fighting Illini player to post one this season.
» The last win in the Big Ten Tournament for Illinois was in 2019 when the team took down Nebraska, 6-4.
» The eight runs scored was the most ever by a 12-seed in the tournament.
» The victory marks the first time a 12-seed has topped a five seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
UP NEXT
With the win, [12] Illinois advances to the quarterfinals of Big Ten Tournament, with the Illini set to take on [4] Nebraska at Eichelberger Field on Thursday night at 7 p.m. CT.
