Box Score BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Illinois softball (15-37, 3-18 Big Ten) fell to Indiana on Friday evening, 8-5, in the series opener between the sides. Eileen Donahue recorded her 14th home run of the year, moving her into a tie for eighth in single-season program history.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Skylar Brennan started the outing with a four-pitch walk, and Adisyn Caryl followed behind, reaching on an Indiana error. Eileen Donahue advanced the runners on a ground out, and Ellie Haggard scored Brennan for the first run of the day, with a sacrifice fly to center. Keirys Click capped off the opening inning for the Fighting Illini with a two-score home run to dead center.
A two-RBI double from Josie Bird after a pair of base hits from Aly VanBrandt and Alex Cooper brought Indiana back within one run after one inning.
Despite a base hit from Alaina Miller, the second inning passed scoreless for Illinois, and Indiana added five runs in the bottom of the inning, propelled by an Avery Parker grand slam.
The third inning went by with no additional runs for either side, and Yergler worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth to continue the scoring drought.
In the top of the fifth, the Orange and Blue plated two runs, after Brennan notched a base hit and Eileen Donahue rocketed a home run to left field, cutting the deficit to two. Yergler and freshman Abby Sabalaskey combined for a scoreless fifth.
The Hoosiers added one more run in the sixth, squeaking out the 8-5 victory.
POSTGAME NOTES
- Eileen Donahue was 1-for-3 at the plate with a walk, her lone hit a two-RBI home run.
- She now has 14 home runs on the season, which moves her into a tie for eighth in single-season program history, alongside Jessica Davis (2011).
- Keirys Click was 1-for-2 at the plate, her lone hit also a two-RBI home run.
- The home run was Click's seventh of the season and 11th of her career.
- Click ranks third on the team in long balls behind Donahue and Haggard.
- Ellie Haggard was 1-for-2 at the plate, with a double and a sacrifice fly.
- The double was Haggard's sixth of the year and seventh of her career.
- Alaina Miller was 1-for-2 at the plate, her second consecutive game with a hit.
- Sophomore Danika Frazier made her seventh start of the season in the circle and 11th of her career, throwing 1.1 innings before exiting in favor of Karley Yergler.
- Karley Yergler went 3.1 innings in relief, conceding just one hit and no runs.
- Skylar Brennan was 1-for-3 at the plate with a walk
- As a team, Illinois notched multiple home runs in a game for the ninth time this season and third game in conference play.
UP NEXT
Illinois and Indiana return for game two of the series, tomorrow, Saturday, May 2. First pitch from Andy Mohr Field is slated for 1 p.m. CT, with streaming on B1G+.
