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Sarah Twidwell

Western Resumes Summit League Play Against NDSU

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

The Leathernecks welcome the red-hot Bison to Macomb March 30-31

MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois softball team picks up Summit League at home with a three-game series against North Dakota State (21-11, 3-0) from Mary Ellen McKee Stadium March 30-31.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Western Illinois (8-14) softball put the foot on the gas pedal at the onset and did not let up in a 10-1 victory over Iowa (15-12). The last time the Leathernecks defeated a Power Five school was on April 17, 2018, also at Pearl Field, in fact, Western's last three Power Five wins have been over the Hawkeyes.
 
The Leatherneck offense put together season highs of 10 runs and 12 hits as a team to spoil the Iowa home opener.
 
Iowa City native Emily Ira lined a single up the middle for the first hit of the ballgame in the top of the second. The bases were loaded with two outs when Payton Abbott clubbed a grand slam over the wall in left centerfield for her fourth long ball of the season. The Leathernecks were not done as Hailey Duwa laced a double down the left field line to score Sydney Hollings from first after her two-out walk. Iowa starting pitcher Erin Riding exited after 1.2 innings of work in favor of Allison Doocy.
 
With runners at the corners and two outs in the top of the fourth, Halle Hollatz drove the ball over the head of the Hawkeye centerfielder to plate two more runs for a 7-1 advantage.
 
Sarah Lehman replaced Doocy in the circle for Iowa at the start of the sixth inning. With one down, Danielle Olson walked followed by a pair of singles from Hollatz and Ira to load the bases again. Aly Compton singled through the left side of the inning to extend the Leatherneck margin to 8-1.
 
Duwa hit an opposite-field home run over the left field fence with a runner on in the top of the seventh inning to round out the scoring. Her third homer of the season handed Western a 10-1 cushion.
 
Ira (5-5) notched her eighth complete game of the season allowing just one run on five hits with seven strikeouts.
 
PROMOTIONS: Saturday- Military Appreciation Day as Leatherneck softball honors service
men and women. WIU ROTC will present the nation's colors pregame.
 
Sunday- It's another Sunday Runday as children 12 and under are invited to the
infield to run the bases after the game is over.

PRESEASON HONORS: Emily Ira and Hailey Duwa were both honored as Summit League 'Players to Watch' at the beginning of the 2019 season. 
 
IMPRESSIVE IRA: Ira struck out a season-high 13 batters in an 8-0 shutout win over Bowling Green on Saturday, March 9. Her career-high is 19 strikeouts. Ira is just the third Leatherneck to ever register 500 strikeouts (Holly Van Vlymen - 880, Kameren Ferguson - 763) as she has recorded 581 career strikeouts and counting. Ira currently ranks fifth in WIU program history with 550.2 innings pitched after passing Veronica Wilson (1990-93).  
 
THANK YOU, NEXT: Emily Ira has led Western in strikeouts every year since she arrived in Macomb as a freshman. The senior ranks eighth in the NCAA in strikeout-to-walk ratio, sitting down 7.11 batters per each one she walks as of Friday, March 29.
 
FAMILIAR FACE: WIU softball battled former player and assistant coach, Lu Harris-Champer at the UGA Classic (March 9-11). Harris-Champer played three seasons at Western Illinois before becoming an assistant coach for the Westerwinds from 1992-1996. She has been the head coach of Georgia Bulldogs for 19 seasons and turned UGA into a national powerhouse. 
 
BEEN CAUGHT STEALING: Meghan Henson has thrown out eight runners trying to steal, which ranks fifth in The Summit League. 
 
CONSISTENT SPOTS IN THE ORDER: Although head coach Beth Golitko has tinkered with her batting order throughout the season, Jasmine Lara has hit leadoff in all 22 games. Hailey Duwa has batted out of the cleanup spot in all 22 contests as well. 

SCOUTING THE BISON: North Dakota State is 21-11 and riding an 11-game win streak into Macomb. The Bison are coming off a convincing sweep at Purdue Fort Wayne last weekend. Katie Shoultz has hit consistently for a .407 average through 28 games while swiping 17 stolen bases. Maddie Hansen provides the power with a team-high six home runs and Iowa State transfer Cara Beatty paces the Bison with 21 RBI.
 
Darren Mueller is in 18th season in charge of NDSU softball and owns a 626-345 overall mark. For the seventh consecutive season, North Dakota State was predicted first in the Summit League preseason poll.
 
LAST YEAR AGAINST NORTH DAKOTA STATE: The Bison took the final three games of the 2018 regular season against Western Illinois in Fargo. North Dakota State leads the all-time series 30-9.
 
ON DECK: The Leathernecks have a week off until their first Summit League road series of the season at South Dakota State April 5-6.  
 
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