EAST LANSING, Mich. – Illinois softball topped Michigan State, 8-6, at Secchia Stadium on Friday to take the Big Ten series opener.
The Fighting Illini improved to 17-25 this year with a 4-10 league record with the win. The Spartans fell to 15-27 overall and 2-13 in conference play.
Tori McQueen got the start and went the distance. The southpaw gave up six runs, only one on which was earned, and fanned 10 batters to move to 10-12 on the year.
Offensively, the Fighting Illini were paced by senior Kelly Ryono, who went 1-for-3 on the day with a home run, two walks and an RBI. Freshman Adisyn Caryl put together a noteworthy performance at the dish as well, going 2-for-3 with four RBI. Junior Stevie Meade also chipped in for Illinois, putting together three hits in four trips to the plate while adding an RBI.
How it happened
Illinois got on the board first with a hit batter and an error plating a pair. The Illini extended their lead in the following frame, with Ryono tallying a solo home run and Caryl tacking on an RBI single.
Holding onto the 4-0 advantage, a solo homer by the Spartans cut into the Orange and Blue edge in the bottom of the second.
After a pair of scoreless innings, a hit batter, a walk and a single loaded the bases with one away for the Fighting Illini. Stevie Meade logged a sacrifice fly, and an error on the play helped extend the 6-1 Orange and Blue lead. Another hit batter, the fifth of the game for MSU, added to the 7-1 Illini advantage.
However, Michigan State rallied by scoring five runs, all unearned, in the bottom of the fifth.
Both teams went scoreless in the sixth, but the Illini posted an insurance run in the seventh when Caryl rattled off an RBI single to give Illinois the 8-6 edge.
With the Fighting Illini needing thee outs to secure the win, MSU looked to play spoiler by gaining a pair of baserunners with two away. McQueen secured her 10th punchout of the day to end the game, sealing the victory for the Illini.
Up Next
The Fighting Illini continue their weekend series at Michigan State. Saturday's first pitch is slated for 12 p.m. on B1G+.
Notes
» Illinois wore anthracite jerseys, moving to 5-5 while donning those.
» The Illini moved to 29-7 against MSU.
» Kelly Ryono extended her hitting streak to five games.
» Tori McQueen tallied 10 strikeouts, the most by the southpaw in Big Ten play this season.
» McQueen moved into sole possession of sixth on the all-time strikeout list with 340 punchouts.
» Four Fighting Illini had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Fighting Illini out-hit the Spartans at an 11-8 clip.
» Illinois pitchers limited Michigan State to just 1-for-7 (.143) with runners in scoring position.
» The Fighting Illini batters were hit five times, and the team drew five walks from Michigan State pitching.
