ORLANDO - Illinois softball dropped its first game of the year, falling to #12/14 Georgia, 7-4, at the Black and Gold Classic.
The Fighting Illini moved to 1-1 on the young season while the ranked Bulldogs remained undefeated at 3-0.
Megan Nuechterlein got the start in the circle, taking the loss as she tossed 4.0 innings. Lauren Wiles pitched scoreless 3.0 innings in relief. Offensively, the Illini were paced by junior Zoie Howard, who went 3-for-4 on the day with a triple and two RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Georgia jumped out to the early 5-0 lead following the opening frame. After a scoreless second by both squads, the Bulldogs added three runs in the top of the third, earning the 7-0 advantage.Â
The battle continued with both teams posting blanks until the Illini were down to their final three outs in the seventh. Illinois earned three walks and a bases loaded wild pitch scored the first run of the game for the Orange and Blue. Howard added a stand-up triple to keep the hopes alive while cutting the deficit, 7-3. An error tacked on another run for the Illini, but the comeback fell short with the Fighting Illini falling, 7-4.
UP NEXT
Illinois readies for a rematch with CSU Bakersfield on Saturday. First pitch on ESPN+ is slated for 1 p.m. CT.
NOTES
» Keirys Click, Lizzie Stiverson and Taylor Porter made their Illini debuts.
» Illinois left 10 runners stranded on base in the loss.
» Illini pitchers limited Georgia to just 3-for-17 (.176) with runners in scoring position.
» Illinois pitchers faced 36 Georgia hitters in the game, allowing eight ground balls and seven fly balls while striking out five.
» The Fighting Illini drew four walks from Georgia pitching.
» Howard led the Fighting Illini at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBI.
» Illinois wore navy jerseys, moving to 1-1 while donning those.
