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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