The Illinois softball team continued its warm-weather tournament tour with a strong performance this past weekend at the Florida Atlantic University Pepsi Classic in Boca Raton, Fla.

While the Illini played powerfully in their three wins, the weekend was defined by their two losses to Texas Tech, which included a defeat in the championship game.

“We were really excited to get to the championship,” head coach Terri Sullivan said. “We got there on our pitching and defense.”

Illinois opened the tournament by splitting its two games on the first day.

In their first contest, Illinois took a quick two-run lead over Texas Tech.

Freshman Ashley Wright pitched a shut-out through five innings before the Red Raiders broke through and came back to defeat the Illini 5-2 late in the game.

The offense woke up in the second game, though, as the team cruised to an 11-5 victory over Jacksonville.

The win was led by a five-RBI performance from junior outfielder Makenzie Smith.

Day two started the same way that day one ended. Illinois dominated Bethune Cookman in an easy 12-1 victory. But the signature win of the tournament came in its next game against host team Florida Atlantic.

“There was a great crowd at the game because it was the host school,” Sullivan said. “Our pitching and defense really shut them out.”

Freshman pitcher Vicky Brown out-dueled her counterpart in a game deprived of offense.

Solid defense, including a catch at the wall by center fielder Sarah Bryers, also helped Illinois get past FAU with a 1-0 victory.

“When you have a defense behind you that you can trust, then it allows you to throw whatever you want,” Brown said.

Riding strong pitching and defense to a 3-1 record after two days, Illinois ultimately secured a rematch with Texas Tech in Sunday’s championship game.

The Fighting Illini couldn’t put together a strong enough effort to overcome the Red Raiders, as they fell 7-0.

Offensively, the Illini were held to only four hits and the usually strong pitching staff gave up seven runs on eleven hits.

Although the team fell short of the championship, Sullivan said she believes that her players improved in all areas of the game and gained valuable experience from playing in the championship.

“We played much better on offense and defense this week, and now we want to put it together in one game,” Sullivan said.

“Next time we play for a championship, we’ll know what we have to do.”