URBANA, Ill. – A powerful performance at the plate for Illinois softball lifted the team to a six-inning victory, 19-9, over SIUE at Eichelberger Field on Wednesday night.
With the triumph over the Cougars, the Fighting Illini moved to 13-16 this year, while SIUE fell to 10-21 on the season.
Lauren Wiles got the start and went the distance, earning her fifth win of the year. Paige Berkmeyer went 3-for-4 at the plate, supplementing her three home runs with seven RBI. Kelly Ryono added to Berkmeyer's stunning performance by going 3-for-4 with three doubles and two RBI. Adisyn Caryl also chipped in for the Fighting Illini, going 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI.
How it happened
The Fighting Illini fell behind in the opening frame when the Cougars put up a run during their first at-bat.
The SIUE edge did not last, as the Illini charged back in the bottom of the frame. A two-run bomb from the bat of Berkmeyer gave the Illini the slight 2-1 lead. An RBI double from Caryl and a sacrifice fly from Eileen Donahue followed for the 4-1 Illinois advantage.
The Cougars added a run in the second and third, leaving Illinois ahead by just a score.
In the bottom of the third, Berkmeyer added her second long ball of the game before back-to-back RBI singles by Donahue and Delaney Mosley added to the 7-3 advantage. Ryono tacked on a sacrifice fly, scoring the fourth run of the frame.
Illinois added three runs in the bottom of the fourth, including a two-RBI single from Caryl, to expand its 11-3 edge. However, SIUE logged five runs in the fifth, cutting into the Fighting Illini's 11-8 advantage.
The Orange and Blue tacked on a run following a sacrifice fly by Berkmeyer, extending the 12-8 edge, but the Cougars followed with another run in the sixth.
Three straight doubles in the bottom of the inning put Illinois ahead, 15-9, and Stevie Meade's RBI single added one more run. It was the bat of Berkmeyer that sealed the six-inning victory, though, as the junior tallied her third homer of the day, a three-run blast, giving Illinois the 19-9 win.
Up Next
Illinois welcomes Minnesota for a Big Ten series at Eichelberger Field. First pitch on Friday is slated for 5 p.m. on B1G+.
Notes
» Illinois wore anthracite jerseys, moving to 3-5 while donning those.
» The Illini moved to 6-0 all-time against SIUE.
» Illinois got three-hit games from three different hitters.
» Illinois went 11-for-17 (.647) with runners in scoring position.
» The Fighting Illini got three hits in four at-bats with the bases loaded.
» The Illini's 19 runs scored are tied for fifth in the record books.
» The team's 20 hits tied the record for most hits in a game.
» The squad's six doubles were a new record.
» Illinois posted 35 total bases, ranking second in the record books.
» Kelly Ryono extended her reached-base streak to 15 games.
» Ryono's three doubles tied the most by a single player in a single game.
» The three homers by Paige Berkmeyer were the most hit in a single game by a single player.
» The game marked Berkmeyer's first multi-home run game.
» The 12 total bases by Berkmeyer were also a new program record.
» Berkmeyer's seven RBI tie the program record for a single game.
» Attendance on Wednesday night was called at 251.
