Sarah Twidwell

Softball Treks to North Dakota for Indoor Series

Thursday, April 18, 2019 | By: WIU Athletic Communications

The Leathernecks are set to battle the Fighting Hawks indoors at the Alerus Center April 19-20

MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois softball team resumes Summit League play at North Dakota April 19-20. The three-game series will feature one game in primetime at 7 p.m. on April 19 with a doubleheader the following day beginning at 2 p.m. All contests will be played inside the Alerus Center due to field conditions.

LAST TIME OUT: The Leathernecks pounced immediately in the top of the first en route to a 9-4 victory. Jasmine Lara and Payton Abbott reached on back-to-back singles at the beginning of the order. Out of the cleanup spot, Hailey Duwa placed a single into center plating Lara from second base. Halle Hollatz followed suit with a single up the middle for a quick 2-0 lead.

A wild pitch allowed Duwa to score and Aly Compton's RBI single down the left field line put Western ahead 4-0 at the onset. Skylee James answered for UIC in the bottom of the first with a solo homer over the wall in right center.

After a leadoff double to the gap by Emily Ira, Compton singled up the middle and a throwing error let Ira come in for a 5-1 advantage in the top of the third. James again helped provide the UIC answer in the bottom of the third inning with a triple and later scored on a Leatherneck error.

Western Illinois broke the game open in the top of the fifth after loading the bases in a hurry. Sydney Hollings plated Alyssa Ealy on a line drive single to center followed by a bases-loaded walk to Duwa. Abbott scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Hollatz as the Leathernecks led 8-2.

Emily Ira (8-6) helped her own cause by poking an RBI single to left field for some extra cushion, up 9-3. In the circle, she surrendered three earned runs with nine strikeouts compared to only one walk. The senior notched her 58th complete game, which ranks fourth in program history.

The visiting team jumped out to another early lead in game two. Lara led off with a single and Abbott double her to third. A wild pitch got WIU on the board and Abbott scored on an RBI groundout from Duwa.

The early 2-0 lead disappeared in the bottom of the first inning on a game-tying two-run shot to left by James. A frame later, Claire Crane doubled to break the tie while Kayla Wedl singled home two more runs as the Flames moved ahead, 5-2.

The Flames took a 6-3 advantage into the top of the seventh. UIC relief pitcher Jennah Speth surrendered a leadoff single to Ealy before eventually walking the bases loaded with one out. Allie Trudeau was summoned out of the bullpen to record the final two outs as the Flames held on.

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.

600 AND NO SIGNS OF STOPPING: Ira is just the third Leatherneck to ever register 600 strikeouts (Holly Van Vlymen - 880, Kameren Ferguson - 763) as she has recorded 617 career strikeouts and counting. Ira currently ranks fifth in WIU program history with 572.0 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 is eighth in the NCAA in strikeout-to-walk ratio, sitting down 7.15 batters per each one she walks as of Thursday, April 11. Ira has struck out 93 batters as she ranks second in the Summit League this season.

RECORD BOOK WATCH: Hailey Duwa has currently 18 career home runs and is tied for sixth in program history. One more could propel her into a tie fourth all-time and 21is the mark for second place.

BEEN CAUGHT STEALING: Meghan Henson has thrown out nine runners attempting to steal, which ranks fourth in The Summit League.

SEEING DOUBLES: Sydney Hollings has hit 10 doubles this season, which ranks sixth in the Summit League so far this season.

NOT MAKING IT EASY: Abby Carlin (8) is tied for the fewest walks allowed in the Summit League this season.

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 30 games. Hailey Duwa has batted out of the cleanup spot in all 30 contests as well.

SCOUTING THE FIGHTING HAWKS: UND enters the weekend at 19-27overall and carries a 4-5 Summit League record in its inaugural season as a member of the league. The Fighting Hawks were swept by South Dakota on the road April 13-14. Kayleen Schneider owns one of the best batting averages in the Summit League (.360) while Marina Marxolino paces her squad with 25 RBI. Joselyn Kirk and Dani Romero each have hit four homers this year for the Fighting Hawks. Freshman Jannay Jones has been a force in the circle with 12 complete games, 76 strikeouts and a 3.76 ERA.

Jordan Stevens enters his fifth season at the helm of the Fighting Hawks with a 98-167 mark. His overall head coaching record is 229-266-1 after his previous four seasons at Valparaiso.

HISTORY AGAINST NORTH DAKOTA: The two programs have only met twice before and they split the pair of contests. Western shut out North Dakota 4-0 on opening day of the 2012 season at the Iowa State Invitational (Feb. 12, 2012) when Beth Golitko was in her first season as a graduate assistant coach at WIU. North Dakota pulled away late from the Leathernecks 5-3 in the Total Control Sports Invitational on Feb. 8, 2015, in the only other matchup. Friday will mark the first game between the two that is not played at a neutral site and is Western Illinois softball's first trip to Grand Forks, N.D.

ON DECK: The Leathernecks head back home to play host to Purdue Fort Wayne in a three-game Summit League set April 27-28.

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