MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois softball looks to bounce back from a pair of losses to No. 20 Missouri when the Leathernecks get back to Summit League play on Saturday (April 18). The Leathernecks head to Brookings, South Dakota to face the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in a three-game series. 

In what could be a crucial series as the season winds down, the Leathernecks and Jackrabbits begin the series on Saturday at 12 p.m. with a doubleheader. The series wraps up on Sunday (April 19) with an 11 a.m. first pitch. Both teams enter the weekend with 3-6 records in Summit League play. 

SCOUTING THE JACKRABBITS: Devan Larsen recently hit her 11th home run of the year, setting a new SDSU single-season record... Larsen is hitting .290 with 29 RBIs... Elyse Eitel leads the team with a .353 average... Eitel has driven in 20 runs for the Jackrabbits... Alyssa D'Agostino has 27 RBIs on the year, with five home runs... In the circle, Ashlyn Bender surpassed the 100 inning mark... Bender has worked 102 innings with an 8-9 record and a 5.22 ERA... Freshman Bryana Clark is 4-11 with a 6.59 ERA... Jackrabbit pitching has given up 28 home runs... Krista Wook is in her first year at SDSU.

SERIES HISTORY: The Leathernecks lost a pair of contest to SDSU last season, but lead the all-time series 16-4... The last time the two teams met, Western came away with a 10-4 victory thanks to home runs from Karissa Kouchis and Nina Maggio... The Leathernecks are 5-1 all-time in Brookings, South Dakota.

LEATHERNECKS CAN'T TAME TIGERS: Western Illinois looked for its first win over a ranked opponent since 1993 and led through four innings over the No. 20 Missouri Tigers... The final nine outs proved to be the hardest though, as Missouri claimed a 15-4 win in game one before taking game two 8-1... Sammy Marshall scored three runs, Holly Hoelting hit her third home run of the year and Teagan Walsh collected a pair of hits against Missouri.