Ohio State swept Illinois out of Columbus in the Illini’s first series of the weekend, but Illinois refused to roll over for Penn State in Sunday’s doubleheader.

In game one on Sunday, Illinois starting pitcher Claire DeVreese went the distance, allowing just three hits in a complete game shutout. In game two, DeVreese entered in relief, buckling down late in the game.

“Both performances were huge,” head coach Terri Sullivan said. “I think her and (catcher) Lana (Armstrong) worked one of the best games this season. She had that look in her eye that you want to see all your players with – she knew someone would have to do something special to beat her.”

The Illini had just five hits between three players, but they made those hits count, leaving only two runners on base. Junior Kisten Martin drove in three key runs on two of the five team hits.

In the second game, Illinois looked as if it would split the season series with the Nittany Lions. After scoring two runs in the first inning, Illinois’ offense went cold, but shortstop Angelena Mexicano said this played no factor in keeping the team down.

“There was no doubt we’d be able to pull it off,” Mexicano said. “Going into our at-bat in the seventh inning, coach Sullivan asked if we had the will to win. Everyone wanted it bad and we showed that.”

Penn State starting pitcher Jenn Reynolds had a gem going, but walked three Illinois batters in the last half inning – one of those batters drove in a run – setting the table for a dramatic finish.

Mexicano hammered the first pitch she saw (down and away) from Reynolds deep to right field and over the fence for a grand slam, giving the Illini its first series sweep against a conference opponent.

“I think it’s important to get some series sweeps during the conference season if you want to be in the race,” Sullivan said. “Not a lot of teams do it. It’s just so tough, especially in such a competitive conference as the Big Ten. You need everything to go well for two games and need to fight like crazy to get a sweep. Hopefully, we can keep it up next weekend.”

Before Illinois took the field just 12 games ago, Mexicano had a respectable 18 RBIs. With 10 more this week alone, Mexicano will most likely become the Big Ten leader in RBI with 41.

“I’m so proud of Angelena’s commitment to becoming the best she can be,” Sullivan said. “She’s such a talented player. She’s really the emotional leader of the team.”

“She’s seeing the ball real well, swinging with confidence and at shortstop, a critical position on the field, playing defense with confidence,” Sullivan said. “I think she’s going to keep soaring.”