A strong offensive performance this weekend helped the Illinois softball team win two of its three games in the Fighting Illini Classic at Eichelberger Field.

The Illini (14-7) won 13-1 on Friday over Western Michigan before splitting Saturday with a 7-4 loss to North Dakota State and 6-1 win over Omaha.

“We were much more aggressive this weekend than last weekend,” sophomore Allie Bauch said. “Last weekend, we were taking pitches, and we weren’t doing our hitting philosophy. This weekend, we were aggressive, and it really makes a difference when you go up to bat.”

After a poor offensive showing last weekend in Florida, this week’s practices focused on being more aggressive at the plate with a two-strike approach, which helps batters stay ahead in the count. The Illini saw improvement as they recorded 23 runs, 28 hits and hit three home runs in three games.

Friday against Western Michigan, the Illini began a hot streak at the plate with 13 runs, eight of which came in the top of the fourth inning. 

The Illini fell behind early when freshman pitcher Brandi Needham gave up a run in the first and found herself in trouble with runners on first and second. Needham struck out the next batter to end the inning and never looked back after that, only giving up two more hits the rest of the way.

Senior Jenna Mychko tied the game in the top of the second with a RBI groundout to second, scoring junior Brittany Sanchez. The Illini took the lead for good when senior Alex Booker found the gap in left center for an RBI single in the top of the third. 

“We’ve just been really trying to focus on stringing hits together, so being able to execute and get all those runs in the fourth inning was really crucial,” junior Jess Perkins said. “We were really focusing on pitch by pitch and getting hits when we needed them.”

Illinois picked up where it left off in the first game of its doubleheader Saturday against North Dakota State, scoring one run in the bottom of the first and two in the second. The Illini led off each inning with a solo home run.

Junior pitcher Shelese Arnold had a strong outing, not allowing a hit until the third inning and only allowing one run before the top of the seventh. After a leadoff home run for the Bisons in the seventh cut, the Illini lead to 4-2, head coach Terri Sullivan put in Needham to try to earn the save; however, Needham hit the first batter she faced and gave up four runs before Sullivan put Arnold back in. The Bison scored one more run, scoring six runs in seventh.

The Illini could not respond in the bottom frame and lost the game 7-4.

“Brandi’s been pitching well all year and finishing games,” said Arnold, who gave up three runs on seven hits. “We don’t regret (putting her in) because Brandi’s been a leader on the mound all year.”

The Illini fell behind early again to Omaha, trailing 1-0 after the first. Needham’s bad day seemed as if it would continue when she gave up a solo home run and then loaded the bases in the first with two outs before getting out of the inning. The Illini took the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth when freshman Ruby Rivera hit a RBI double into deep left center. Needham gave up two more hits, and pitched a complete game to guide Illinois to a 6-1 lead.

“You have to have a short-term memory with your performance,” Sullivan said of Needham’s performance in the second game. “It’s not many times that you get an opportunity to respond right away. She got that chance, and I was proud of the way she responded.”

Michal can be reached at [email protected] and @bennythebull94.