MACOMB, Ill. - Western turns its attention to IUPUI and back to league play after a midweek contest was cancelled. The Leathernecks look to move back into the top half of the league standings as the 2015 season starts to wind down. The Leathernecks and Jaguars are scheduled to begin play with a doubleheader on Saturday (April 11) at 12:00 pm. The finale is scheduled for Sunday (April 12) at 11 am.
Following Saturday's doubleheader,  Western Illinois softball will be raising money for MDH Linda's Fund to help fight breast cancer. All proceeds raised during the home run derby following the second game on Saturday will go towards Linda's Fund in honor of Becky Schluter. In addition, members of Becky's family will throw out the first pitch prior to the start of the doubleheader. SCOUTING THE JAGUARS: Ali Mosier has erupted during her junior season... The infielder is hitting .342, but leads The Summit League with 12 home runs... She also sits in the top five in doubles (11), RBIs (28), stolen bases (18), and runs (4)...  Mosier was names The Summit League's 'Player of the Week' on Monday after hitting six home runs last week in four games... Mosier gets help offensively from Roni Patterson, who is hitting .350 entering the weekend... Patterson adds six doubles and nine home runs to the Jaguar offense along with 26 RBIs... Eryn Dillon leads the team with 29 RBIs... Dillon has hit seven doubles and seven home runs... The Jags have hit 46 home runs this season, seven more than Omaha in second... IUPUI will feature Brooke Boetjer and Emili Escamilla in the circle... Boetjer, a transfer from Indiana, has the league's second-best ERA (2.05) and her 15 wins also ranks second in the league... Boetjer has struck out 95 batters in 119.2 innings of work, holding opponents to a .204 average with five shutouts and 35 walks... Escamilla is 8-2 on the year with a 2.10 ERA... The senior has thrown 90 innings, striking out 92 in that time with 27 earned runs allowed... Amanda Rivera has turned around the IUPUI program, leading them to 24 wins last season and 23 already in 2015... Rivera is in her third year in charge at IUPUI.Â
SERIES HISTORY: The Leathernecks and Jaguars split the season series last year, with Western taking the first two before IUPUI took the final two, including the first game of The 2014 Summit League Softball Championships... Western leads the all-time series 46-14 and have never lost three consecutive games to IUPUI. CRUCIAL STRETCH: The Leathernecks begin the final stages of the 2015 season... Western Illinois has three nonconference matchups remaining (five total games) and four Summit League series left (12 total games)... Western currently sits in fifth in The Summit League, but two games back of North Dakota State and could move in front of IUPUI.
 SCORING IN BUNCHES: The Leatherneck offense pushed 47 runs across the plate over four games last week... This marks the first time since 2012 that Western has scored eight or more runs in four consecutive games... The Leathernecks went 3-1 last week, with wins over Fort Wayne and Iowa... In 2012, Western defeated South Dakota State (9-3, 13-1), UIC (8-5), and Southern Utah (8-0, 8-0), as part of a 10 game winning streak.Â
 WESTERN CLIPS HAWKS: The Leathernecks snapped a 12-game losing streak to the Iowa Hawkeyes on Thursday (April 1)... Western Illinois scored 10 runs in the fifth inning en route to an 11-8 win... Tierney Bottino hit a bases clearing double and added a pair of singles on her way to her second four-RBI performance of the week... Sammy Marshall scored two runs and tacked on a pair of RBIs as well... Kelsey Marlow got back on track with two doubles and two RBIs... Kayla Kirkpatrick got the win for Western... Teagan Walsh pitched three innings, allowing two runs over that span.  LEATHERNECKS ADD #B1G OPPONENT: Head coach Holly Van Vlymen added a third Big Ten opponent to the 2015 schedule last week... Western Illinois will now play Illinois on April 28 at 6:30 p.m... Western is 1-0 against Big Ten opponents this season after an 11-8 win over Iowa... Western also faces Wisconsin on April 21 in a doubleheader. |
