Staring at a potential third-straight loss, something had to change in order to spark a comeback. An unlikely source came around for the Illini: the offense.

Despite being held scoreless for over half of the game, sophomore pitcher Addy Jarvis stayed on target and eventually got help from the young Illinois bats to come away with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over their border rival, the Missouri Tigers.

The game started out like most Illini games this season: scoreless. Three innings went by with Jarvis pitching well against the Tigers, allowing only one hit through the first three innings and striking out three Mizzou batters. The Illini, though, were also quiet. They hit once through the first three innings of the game.

Missouri started the third inning with a single, gaining early momentum. After grounding out, a double drove in the leadoff runner to make the score 1-0 in favor of the Tigers. Jarvis settled down, though, and stranded two Missouri base runners to keep the game within reach.

With the prospects of a victory looking bleak, sophomore Danielle Davis whacked a double to lead off the inning, giving the Illini a chance to tie things up. Unable to be driven in with the bat, Davis stole third and home on a wild pitch to tie it at 1-1.

After keeping the Tigers scoreless in the sixth, the Illini responded with another unearned run, this time with sophomore Zaria Dunlap scoring via a first base throwing error.

Jarvis planned to finish the game but was pulled in favor of sophomore Sidney Sickels after giving up a pair of singles. Sickels stepped up, recording the final two outs and securing a crucial 2-1 victory for the Illini.

“Addy Jarvis battled through a tough Mizzou lineup,” said head coach Tyra Perry in a press release. “She showed a ton of mental toughness and gave us a chance. We have been talking a lot to our offense about ramping up our presence on the bases. Danielle Davis and pinch-runner Zaria Dunlap used their speed to advance and score which was enough to secure the win.”

The Illinois softball team was set to host the Fighting Illini Tournament at Eichelberger Field on Saturday before the Big Ten announced the cancelation of spring sports competitions until the end of the semester in a press release Thursday. The cancelations will go into effect beginning immediately.  Teams participating in the tournament are the Mid American Conference member Bowling Green State and Horizon League member Green Bay.

@gourdiereport

[email protected]