EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Teagan Walsh and Hailey Bickford both grabbed wins in the circle in a sweep over the University of Evansville (6-10) on Wednesday (March 14).
Game #1 - 3 p.m.
Western Illinois 8, Evansville 2
Western Illinois (10-13) used home runs from Megan Kelly and Jamie Goss and a strong game in the circle from Teagan Walsh to defeat the Purple Aces 8-2.
The Fighting Leathernecks got on the board early when Goss hit her fourth home run of the year to put her team up 2-0. With runners at second and third, Ashley Campbell hit a sac fly to right to score Lia Romeo and cap off a three-run first.
After Walsh worked a one-two-three bottom half of the first, the Leatherneck offense went back to work. Emma Jarrell and Briana Williams hit back-to-back singles. KC Dunne then reached on an error that scored Jarrell, and Goss hit a sac fly for another three-run inning stretching the Leatherneck lead to 6-0.
The Purple Aces would begin the comeback trail in the fourth when Amy Gaertner cut into the Leatherneck lead with a two-run homer to left to make it 6-2.
Kelly responded with a two-run homer of her own the following inning that put Western up 8-2. Kelsey Michelini came on to relieve Walsh in the fifth to earn the three-inning save.
Walsh (1-3) went four inning giving up two runs on three hits while striking out two. Michelini went the final three to earn her first save of the season and struck out six.
Sarah Patterson (3-5) was hit with the loss after surrendering six runs (three earned) on five hits over the first 1.2 innings of the game. Taylor Perry finished the game for the Purple Aces giving up two runs on two hits.
Game #2 - 5 p.m.
Western Illinois 3, Evansville 0
Hailey Bickford earned her third victory of the 2012 season with a complete game shutout to sweep Evansville.
Bickford got into a jam in the second when Evansville put runners at second and third with no one out. Bickford forced Victoria Dellorto to line out to Sammy Marshall before getting Tamara Robey to pop out.
Western Illinois got on the board in the third when Marshall reached on an infield single and stole second base. On the throw, the ball hit Marshall and got away from the Evansville infielders allowing Marshall to adavance the third. Two plays later, Goss picked up her fourth RBI of the day on a bunt single.
The defense would come up big for Western Illinois as Evansville attempted to squeeze with runners at the corners and one out. Brianna Villanueva laid down the bunt but Bickford underhanded the ball to Lia Romeo who blocked the plate nicely and applied the tag preventing the run from scoring. Halie Malone then singled off the leg of Bickford to Jarrell at second who alertly threw the ball to second catching Vallanueva making the turn too aggressively to end the inning.
The Purple and Gold would get some insurance in the fifth when Lia Romeo doubled to left and Campbell singled her home to go up 2-0. Walsh then doubled to score Campbell from first and chased the Evansville starting pitcher from the game.
Bickford would allow only one base runner over the final two innings en route to the 3-0 victory. The right-hander gave up just four hits and struck out four.
Kendall Kautz went 4.2 innings but grabbed the loss. Kautz gave up three runs on eight hits before giving way to Patterson who scattered three hits over the final 2.1 innings.
The Fighting Leathernecks face South Dakota State this weekend for the home opener. The three-game series begins Friday (March 16) with a double header beginning at 3 p.m. and the final game is slated for Saturday (March 17) at 12 p.m.
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