Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 RALEIGH, N.C. — Illinois softball (5-8, 0-0 B1G) fell to Akron Saturday morning, 9-2, before defeating Providence, 11-2, in five innings, the squad's first run-rule victory of the year. The Orange and Blue will return to Dail Softball Stadium tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 22, to face Providence again at 8 a.m. CT, and NC State at 10:30 a.m. CT.
Game One
Akron struck first with a base hit from Lilly Sullivan that preceded a two-run home run from Sophia Wygast. Despite a base hit from Adisyn Caryl, the Zips took a 2-0 lead into the second frame.
Akron added two more in the second, with a sacrifice fly from Morgan Sizemore and an RBI single from center fielder Meagan Lee.
Illinois loaded the bases in the fourth, with Jackie Yeager and Skylar Brennan walking and Alaina Miller reaching on an Akron error. Keirys Click was hit by the fifth pitch of her at-bat to score pinch runner Eden Echevarria before the frame ended.
Akron added two solo home runs from Katie Cantrell and Sydney Selker in the fifth, and plated two more runs in the sixth.
Yeager added her second hit of the game to begin the sixth for Illinois, and she came around to score on an RBI single from Brennan, decreasing the deficit to six.
Haley Glass added one final home run for Akron to conclude the Zips' 9-2 win.
Game Two
The Illini got things going quickly, with a solo home run from Click in her second at-bat on a 2-2 count. Caryl followed up with a base hit, and Ellie Haggard brought her home with a two-RBI home run, extending the advantage to 3-0.
Providence logged its first of the outing on RBI double from Sofia Peterson to deep center field, scoring Cameron Dunn who reached on a walk.
Illinois continued its hot streak into the second frame, with a pair of base hits from Alaina Miller and Skylar Brennan preceding a second home run from Click on the first pitch of the at-bat.
Not to be outdone, Haggard launched her second home run of the day to right center to start off the third. Following Haggard, Illinois plated four more runs, taking a 11-1 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth and final frame, Alyssa Twomey and Emma Eichten notched base hits, and Eichten came around to score after an Illinois error in the outfield. Abby Sabalaskey shut the door on the Friars with her sixth strikeout of the day, sealing the 11-2 victory for Illinois.
Postgame Notes
- The win against Providence represents the first time in program history two players have scored multiple home runs in the same game, with Keirys Click and Ellie Haggard each adding two
- Click and Haggard both record the first multi-home run games of their careers
- Click's home runs are the fifth and sixth of her career, bringing her to six multi-hit games on the year
- Haggard extends her streak to three consecutive games with a home run, and registers her fourth multi-hit game of the 2026 season
- The four home runs are the most by the team overall in a single game this year
- Adisyn Caryl added two hits in both games, marking four consecutive multi-hit contests for the junior
- Catcher Jackie Yeager posted a pair of hits in the loss to the Zips, the first multi-hit outing of her career
- Leadoff hitter Skylar Brennan extends her streak to four consecutive games with a hit, adding one in both matchups
- Lefty Abby Sabalaskey improves to 4-1 on the season with the win over the Friars, in her second complete game of the season and the weekend
- She owns a staff-best 24 strikeouts on the year
- The Illini out-hit the Friars, 10-4, the team's fourth time reaching double-digit hits this season
Next Up
Illinois finishes its Raleigh Times slate with a doubleheader on Sun. Feb. 22, facing Providence at 8 a.m. CT and NC State at 10:30 a.m. CT.
