ROCHESTER, Mich. - Fighting Leatherneck softball picked up two wins over Oakland on day one (March 31) of the Summit League series. The wins bring Western Illinois to a 19-14 overall mark and a 9-2 conference record. Oakland drops to 3-22 overall and 1-10 in league play.
Game #1 - 12 p.m.
Western Illinois 9, Oakland 3
Western Illinois used a five-run offensive surge in the top of the seventh inning to solidify a 9-3 first game victory over the Golden Grizzlies.
After trading zeros in the first, Lia Romeo started the second inning off with a triple to deep right, her first of the year, and was brought home on an Ashley Campbell sacrifice fly to deep center staking the early 1-0 Leatherneck advantage.
Starting pitcher Kelsey Michelini held Oakland hittless until the bottom of the third when they strung together a hit by pitch and an infield single. Both runners came around to score on a double giving the Golden Grizzlies a 2-1 lead before Michelini could end the inning with a strikeout.
The Fighting Leathernecks fought back in the fifth scoring two runs on two hits. Briana Williams led off with a single and was moved into scoring position on a Sammy Marshall sacrifice bunt. KC Dunne followed with a full count walk. After a double steal, Williams and Dunne wheeled home on a Jamie Goss double to right center. The hit marked her third double of the season.
Oakland threatened in the bottom of the fifth but solid defense closed out the inning stranding runners at second and third.
Campbell recorded her second RBI of the game in the sixth with a leadoff homerun over the fence in left center. The bomb gives her a team high six homeruns on the season and four in Summit League play. Grizzly first baseman Leah DiCristofaro returned the favor in the bottom of the inning with a leadoff homerun of her own to left center.
In the top of the seventh, the Leatherneck offense blew the game wide open scoring five runs on five hits to give the game its final score of 9-3. Williams started the rally with her first single of the game and was moved up by Marshall's third sacrifice bunt of the game. After Williams swiped third, Dunne singled and stole second putting two runners in scoring position for Romeo who came through in the clutch with a two RBI double to right center. Campbell brought Romeo home with a single and scored when Megan Kelly drove a ball over the wall in left. It marked Kelly's fifth homerun of the year and second in conference play.
Michelini earned her tenth win of the season in the circle and Bickford picked up her third save of the season for her 2.2 innings of work. Oakland's Brittany Doyle took the loss falling to 1-8.
Four Leathernecks turned in multiple hit performances in the game. Williams was a perfect three-for-three with three stolen bases and Campbell went two-for-three with a team high three RBI. Romeo and Kelly each went two-for-four with two RBI.
Game #2 - 2 p.m.
Western Illinois 5, Oakland 0
Fighting Leatherneck starting pitcher Hailey Bickford recorded a complete game 5-0 shut out in game two of the double header to solidify the opening day sweep. She held the Golden Grizzlies to three hits and recorded a total of four strikeouts, two looking.
Western Illinois wasted no time getting on the board in the top of the first inning. Leadoff hitter Sammy Marshall reached on a bunt single, swiped second and third and came home on an errant throw.
The game stayed quiet for both teams as they put zeros up on the board in the second through the fourth innings. The Leathernecks threatened in the second and fourth but stranded runners at third base in each instance. Oakland had a runner reach third in the bottom of the third inning but Bickford recorded a strikeout and Marshall gloved a liner to keep them off the board.
In the top of the fifth, the scoring drought ended. Briana Williams and Marshall recorded back to back singles and both stole to move up to second and third with one out. Jamie Goss plated the speedsters with a single through the left side making it 4-0 Leathernecks.
After retiring the Golden Grizzlies in order in the bottom of the inning, the Western Illinois offense picked up where it left off. Ashley Campbell singled down the right line to open the frame and swiped her first bag of the season to reach scoring position. She came around to score on a Megan Kelly double to left giving the game its final score of 5-0.
Marshall went three-for-four at the plate to charge the Leatherneck offense. She picked up one RBI, her seventh of the season, and her three stolen bases brings her season total to a perfect 41-41, just one away from tying and two away from breaking the Western Illinois single season record of 42 stolen bases.
Romeo recorded her second multiple hit game of the day going two-for-four at the plate, while Goss went one-for-four with a team high two RBI. Kelly also picked up an RBI in her one-for-three performance at the plate.
The final game of the Oakland series will be played at 11 a.m. on Sunday (April 1) in Rochester, Mich.
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