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Illini Claim Fifth Straight Big Ten Series in Extra Innings Thrillers 

 

After going 46 games without extra innings, the Fighting Illini needed eight innings in both games of Sunday's doubleheader, as Purdue evened the series with an 8-7 win in game one, but Illinois replied with an 8-7 victory in the nightcap to claim a Big Ten series for the fifth straight weekend. The doubleheader split allowed Illinois to remain at .500, sitting at 24-24 (13-7 Big Ten), while Purdue finished the weekend 29-21 (7-11 Big Ten).

"Today's doubleheader was hard fought by both teams," said head coach Terri Sullivan. "It was critical to stay resilient and in the moment, and our staff is proud of that concentrated effort by our team. They stepped up for each other time and time again."

A four-hit day for Allie Bauch extended her reached-base streak to 21 straight games, the eighth-longest streak in Illinois history and the longest since 2012. Every Illini batter had at lead one hit on the day, including eight Illini doubles.

Comeback Bid Not Enough in First Extra-Inning Game of the Year

The Fighting Illini erased an early 5-0 deficit to tie the score in the bottom of the seventh and send the game to extra innings for the first time all season, but Purdue responded in the eighth to take the day's opener, 8-7.

Jess Perkins drove in four of the Illini's seven runs on her Senior Day, going 1-for-3 with a walk, a bases-clearing double, and her school-record 10th career sacrifice fly. Allie Bauch and Kylie Johnson were both 2-for-4, as Bauch had two doubles, a walk, a run and an RBI, and Johnson scored twice, including the Illini's eighth-inning run. Alyssa Gunther singled, walked, scored twice and drove in two runs and Carly Thomas drove in the game-tying run with a seventh-inning RBI single.

Jade Vecvanags got the start for the Illini, but left the game after just two-and-a-third innings after allowing five runs on seven hits and a walk. Breanna Wonderly (2-8) tossed three scoreless innings, but gave up the go-ahead runs in the eighth, allowing a total of three runs on seven hits and a walk with two strikeouts over the final five and two-thirds.

Lilly Fecho (18-14) recorded every out for the Boilermakers, allowing seven runs, four earned, on seven hits and four walks with eight strikeouts. Gina Snyder (walk) and Lexy Moore (single, walk) pitched to a combined three batters in the eighth, allowing them all to reach base but none scored, before Fecho returned to get the final two outs of the game.

The top of the Boilermaker order led Purdue at the plate, as the first four batters combined for 10 hits and six runs, including three-hit days for Alyssa Koorsen and Mary Gooding and a trio of RBIs for Paris Andrew.

The Boilermakers got on the board quickly, opening the game with back-to-back doubles by Alyssa Koorsen and Mary Gooding. Another RBI double by Kaylah Hampton made it 2-0 before Vecvanags ended the inning with a strikeout.

Purdue put up three more in the top of the third, chasing Vecvanags from the circle. Three-straight singles accounted for the first two runs, and a bases-loaded wild pitch by Wonderly allowed Purdue to make it 5-0 before she pitched herself out of the jam.

The Illini got one back in the bottom of the third on a pair of two-out hits. Johnson beat out an infield single up the middle for Illinois' first hit of the game, and Bauch drilled an RBI double off the wall in the left field corner to put the Orange and Blue on the board.

One swing by Jess Perkins made it a one-run game in the bottom of the fifth, as the Illini loaded the bases on a pair of walks and an infield error, and Perkins ripped a bases-clearing double to pull the Illini within one, 5-4.

The Orange and Blue got the tying run to third with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, but a pair of strikeouts by Fecho kept the Illini from knotting up the score.

Purdue got an insurance run in the top of the seventh, as Ashley Burkhardt led off with a double and scored on a single by Paris Andrew after it was bobbled in the outfield by Thomas.

The Illini tied the score in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI single by Thomas, after Perkins picked up her school-record 10th sacrifice fly to send Bauch across the plate, who had hit a leadoff double. Fecho then stranded a pair to send the Illini to extras for the first time all season.

Purdue regained the lead in the top of the eighth, as a pop up by CJ Parsons to shallow right center got lost in the wind and took a terrible bounce off Thomas for a leadoff triple. Alex Whittemore drove in the go ahead run with a grounder to second and Andrew made it 8-6 with a sacrifice fly to deep center.

The Illini fought back in the bottom of the eighth, as Johnson got things going with a one-out single down the third base line. Purdue brought in a new pitcher, Gina Snyder, but after pitching around Bauch for a walk, the Boilermakers went back to the bullpen for Moore. Gunther drove in Johnson with a single to center, then Perkins loaded the bases with a four-pitch walk to put the go-ahead run in scoring position with one down. Coach Schuette then went back to the bench for Fecho, who got a huge called strikeout on Evans on full count, then struck out Thomas to strand three and seal up the extra-innings victory, 8-7.


 

 

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