Box Score BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Illinois softball (15-38, 3-19 Big Ten) fell to Indiana in game two of its final Big Ten series, 7-3, at Andy Mohr Field. Eileen Donahue tallied her 15th home run of the season, moving her into a tie for seventh in single-season program history.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Adisyn Caryl got things started with a base hit to right field, and Eileen Donahue quickly followed up with a home run to center field, earning Illinois an early 2-0 lead. Nuechterlein and the defense retired the side to end the opening frame.
Indiana got one back in the second, behind a double from Ellie Goins, and RBI single from Brooke Mannon, but Nuechterlein once again struck out the final batter looking to limit the damage.
Despite another base hit for each side in the third, Illinois retained its 2-1 advantage, with Nuechterlein working out of a bases-loaded jam.
Keirys Click led off the fourth with a walk and the bases were quickly loaded after Ady Kiddy reached on an error and Brooke Stang was also walked. Pinch hitter Jackie Yeager capitalized with a sacrifice fly, before a double play ended the inning.
In the bottom of the frame, the Hoosiers quickly had two aboard, behind a pair of base hits from Goins and Mannon. Another base hit from Cassidy Kettleman loaded the bases, and Aly VanBrandt brought one home with an RBI single. A three-RBI double from Alex Cooper cleared the bases and gave Indiana a 5-3 lead, its first of the day.
An RBI double from Hannah Haberstroh added one more for Indiana, but relief pitcher Abby Sabalaskey struck out VanBrandt to end the fifth inning.
Ellie Haggard led off the sixth inning with a double to the left field wall and Click advanced pinch runner Gabrielle Debevec to third with a fly out. Two outs were recorded before Debevec could score.
Indiana added one more run in the sixth, taking the victory, 7-3.
POSTGAME NOTES
- Eileen Donahue was 2-for-3 at the plate, with two RBI.
- She now has 15 home runs on the year, which moves her into a tie for 7th in single-season program history, alongside Lana Armstrong (2007).
- Adisyn Caryl was 1-for-3 at the plate, adding her 49th hit of the season.
- Ellie Haggard was 1-for-3 at the plate, her lone hit a double to the left field wall.
- The double was her seventh this season and eighth of her career.
- Haggard now owns a double in three consecutive contests.
- She also extends her current reached base streak to six games, her longest of the season.
- Megan Nuechterlein made her 11th start of the season in the circle, throwing 3.1 innings and conceding five runs on eight hits.
- Nuechterlein tallied two strikeouts and walked just one batter.
- Abby Sabalaskey threw the final 2.2 innings, conceding one earned run on four hits and notching one strikeout.
UP NEXT
Illinois and Indiana will finish the series on Sunday, May 3, at noon CT. Fans can stream the contest on B1G+.
