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Western Illinois University Athletics

Ira 2
Sarah Twidwell
8
Winner Western Illinois WIU 12-19, 4-6 Summit
0
North Dakota UND 19-28, 4-6 Summit
Winner
Western Illinois WIU
12-19, 4-6 Summit
8
Final
0
North Dakota UND
19-28, 4-6 Summit
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Western Illinois WIU 0 0 0 6 2 8 5 0
North Dakota UND 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3

W: Ira, Emily (9-6) L: Jannay Jones (8-12)

Game Recap: Softball | | WIU Athletic Communications

Ira Strikes Out 11 in Domination of North Dakota

Emily Ira struck out 11 of the 15 batters she faced and the bats backed her up in an 8-0, five-inning victory

GRAND FORKS, N.D.- Emily Ira was dialed in from the first pitch and only allowed one hit in an 8-0 shutout win for Western Illinois (12-19, 4-6) softball over North Dakota (19-28, 4-6) on Friday night (April 19).
 
"Emily was feeling really good," head coach Beth Golitko said. "Her pitches were working left and right. When Emily is on, it's a really good day."
 
Ira struck out seven of the first nine batters she faced. The game was scoreless through three innings of play.
 
The Leathernecks got going in the top of the fourth as they loaded the bases with one out. Danielle Olson broke the deadlock with a single up the middle to plate Payton Abbott. A batter later, Ira reached on an error allowing Hailey Duwa to cross home plate for a 2-0 advantage. The big blow came on a grand slam over the left field fence by Aly Compton, her second homer of the season and first since opening day.
 
Up 6-0, Western was not done as the visiting team loaded the bases once more. A pair of runners were in scoring position with two down when Olson delivered again. The freshman lined a single back to the pitcher allowing Sydney Hollings to score from third and Ashley Minyard raced in from second base as WIU took a commanding 8-0 lead.
 
"We talked about how we needed to get better with runners in scoring position," Golitko said. "If we get a lot of people on, we have to push through. We worked on it, trusted it and improved on it. It was really good to see us get it done with the bases loaded twice."
 
In the circle, Ira struck out two more batters to bring her strikeout total to 11 in a five-inning contest. The senior southpaw won her fourth consecutive start  and did not surrender a walk.  
 
The Leathernecks finish the series against North Dakota with a doubleheader inside the Alerus Center beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday (April 20).
 
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