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Western Illinois University Athletics

Senior Day 2015 FP
Pete Kouchis
3
South Dakota USD 19-23-1
6
Winner Western Illinois WIU 16-20
South Dakota USD
19-23-1
3
Final
6
Western Illinois WIU
16-20
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
South Dakota USD 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 8 4
Western Illinois WIU 1 0 5 0 0 0 X 6 6 0

W: Kirkpatrick, Kayla (5-8) L: Madison Frain (10-10)

Game Recap: Softball | | WIU Athletic Communications

Leathernecks Pick Up Senior Day Win Over Coyotes

Western Illinois defeated South Dakota 6-3 on Sunday (April 26).

MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois softball closed out its home schedule with a 6-3 victory over South Dakota on Sunday (April 26). The Leathernecks moved to 16-20 overall and 6-9 in Summit League play with just one week remaining in the regular season.

"Today was awesome," said head coach Holly Van Vlymen. "We talked before the game about how we needed to leave it all out on the field and just have fun. We know we're a good team so I was really happy with our performance. We had quality at-bats, we put the ball in play, and we had played great defense. We need to take this approach from here on out. We need to control what we can and the outcome will come. I just think we press too much at times when we need to trust the process and just play hard."

Western's six departing seniors were honored prior to the start of the contest. Kayla Kirkpatrick got the nod for the Leathernecks in the circle. Kirkpatrick allowed two runs on four hits in the opening frame, but settled in and limited the Coyote offense to just four hits the rest of the game.

"Kayla threw lights out," Van Vlymen said. "She settled in and hit her spots. She had command of her pitches and had a phenomenal game. Pitchers go through slumps just like hitters and Kayla has been working through a lot. She's tough and she's determined to get it done. There's a reason she was an All-American at her junior college and I'm really proud with how she's performed near the end of this season."

The Leathernecks cut into the 2-0 deficit immediately thanks to consecutive hits from Sammy Marshall and Teagan Walsh. The senior duo made the score 2-1 after Marshall singled to left and stole second only to be brought in by Walsh one a base hit back up the middle.

Both offenses were kept off the board in the second and Kirkpatrick sent the Coyotes down in order in the third. The Leathernecks took advantage of four USD errors in the bottom half of the third inning, scoring five runs to take a 6-2 lead. Marshall reached with a one-out single and moved to second after Walsh walked. Tierney Bottino tied the game on an RBI single, putting runners at first and second for Kelsey Marlow. The freshman hit a bouncing ball back to the pitcher, who misplayed it to load the bases. Hailey Bickford followed with ground ball to the shortstop, who also could not field the ball cleanly, scoring Walsh. Bottino also came around to score on the play on an error by the catcher.

After a South Dakota pitching change, Nina Maggio hit a pop fly into the shallow center, where the shortstop and the second baseman collided, allowing both Marlow and Bickford to score.

That would be all Kirkpatrick needed, as the senior kept South Dakota off the board until the sixth inning when the Coyotes would score one to bring Western's lead to 6-3.
In the seventh, Kirkpatrick allowed a lead off walk, but a fielder's choice and a pair of fly outs ended the game, giving Western the 6-3 win. The Bethalto, Illinois native scattered eight hits in the win, striking out one and walking two. Marshall went three-for-four from the plate, scoring two runs.

The Leathernecks play their final nonconference game of the season on Tuesday against Illinois. Western looks to improve to 2-0 against Big Ten opponents in 2015 against the Illini. First pitch in Urbana-Champaign is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.   
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