Another warm and sunny day in Illinois (16-25, 3-10) turned gloomy with a chance of rain and even canceled Illinois baseball’s matchup on Tuesday afternoon. Softball was more fortunate, playing two and a half hours north of campus in Evanston. With first pitch moved up an hour, they were able to complete their game against the Northwestern Wildcats (27-8, 13-1).
The rivals’ first matchup took place last week, where Illinois began a four-game losing streak, falling 8-0 in six innings. While the Illini kept it close and avoided the shutout in round two, they still dropped the season series finale.
It was a great game for fans who love pitchers duels, as both teams unleashed their aces in Evanston. Senior Tori McQueen and Northwestern graduate student Ashley Miller were flowing through three innings, allowing just one baserunner each. As the fourth came, both faltered, but only one team capitalized.
Illinois graduate student and right fielder Kelly Ryono worked a 2-2 count before knocking a single the other way. Any chances of a rally were quickly diminished when Ryono was caught stealing one batter later. This especially hurt the Illini when senior shortstop Megan Ward singled as well, which would have put two runners on.
Northwestern did the opposite in its half of the fourth. Rather than the first two batters reaching base, it started with two outs and nobody on. A hit-by-pitch, double and two-run homer later, the Wildcats led 3-0 and had all of the momentum.
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Miller had her pitchers working on Tuesday, not giving Illinois any room for error. The right-hander added to a stellar season with seven innings of no-run ball. Her ERA dropped to 1.24 and her WHIP to .99 as she led the dominant Wildcats to the top of the conference once again.
Northwestern extends its Big Ten win streak to 13 and its conference lead to two games this season. The Wildcats are the team to beat now, 52-8 against conference teams since 2022.
Illinois managed one unearned run in the final inning, where sophomore second baseman Gabrielle Debevec prolonged her hit streak. She struggled to get at-bats early in the season but has served up a four-game hit streak since entering the starting lineup over the weekend.
The Illini will need more sparks in the lineup like Debevec as they continue their road trip on Friday to East Lansing, Michigan. A three-game series between the two worst records in the Big Ten will go a long way toward seeing who finishes in that final spot.
@benfader7
