Big Ten newcomer Washington (26-9, 4-2) traveled the distance to Champaign for a two-game series at Eichelberger Field this past weekend. Washington left with a dominant 17-5 victory over Illinois (13-17, 1-5) in five innings on Friday. Due to rain on Saturday, the second game was canceled, and the Illini were unable to redeem themselves.
Quick facts
Washington came out with a bang — literally. The Huskies got on the board instantly with back-to-back home runs, and from there, it was Washington’s game.
The Huskies out-hit the Illini 19-6 in the outing. While Illinois could not get things going on offense, it seemed as though Washington could not hold back its swinging forces. One of the top batters in the Big Ten, Washington’s freshman infielder Alexis DeBoer, slammed two home runs and six RBI on the day, going 4-5 at the plate.
In total, nine different Huskies recorded a hit on Friday. Most of the action came early in the first and second innings, making it even more difficult for the Illini to recover from the deficit. After two frames, Washington led 14-0.
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Illinois outscored Washington 4-3 in the third inning, spearheaded by sophomore infielder Eileen Donahue. She hammered a three-run homer to get the Illini on the board.
Then, freshman first baseman Ella Cushing singled down right field for another offensive push. After that, senior catcher Paige Berkmeyer hit a double to bring Cushing home. The Illini scored once more in the fifth inning, but they could not muster up anything else. The game ended in a mercy rule decision.
Illinois reacts
It can be difficult to find the good in a 12-run loss at home. However, Donahue spoke with an optimistic perspective following the defeat.
“We’re not trying to focus on what went wrong, we’re trying to think of the positives,” Donahue said. “We saw a lot of fight in those last couple innings, and we started getting our swings off more, which coach Perry always talks about.”
Head coach Tyra Perry added a bit more insight into the struggles from Friday’s game.
“I think we are growing,” Perry said. “We have 17 people that don’t have experience on our team; they’re getting it right now.”
The Illini are more than halfway through their season and have demonstrated the challenges that come with having such a young roster in a highly competitive conference. Though they’re learning along the way, Perry recognizes what’s necessary to change their ways.
“Can we do better?” Perry asked. “Absolutely. We need to do better. We need a higher level of intensity, we need to keep outs on defense, our pitchers need to hit their spots a little bit better … We have some things to work on on our end, but we do have a lot of growing to do.”
Upcoming must-win on schedule
Friday’s loss marked Illinois’ seventh-straight defeat. However, the Illini have the chance to turn things around on Tuesday with a midweek matchup against the Western Illinois Leathernecks (8-23).
Western Illinois has had a tough time finding success this season, but is coming off an extra-inning victory over UT Martin (12-19). The Leathernecks may have more momentum than the Illini, but the Illini have more to prove in this game. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. at Eichelberger Field, with Illinois seeking to break its losing streak.
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