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Western Illinois University Athletics

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Nick Nelson
7
Winner Purdue Fort Wayne PURDUEFW 10-37
5
Western Illinois WIU 20-20
Winner
Purdue Fort Wayne PURDUEFW
10-37
7
Final
5
Western Illinois WIU
20-20
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Purdue Fort Wayne PURDUEFW 0 1 0 0 0 2 2 2 7 11 1
Western Illinois WIU 2 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 5 6 0

W: Lauren McConnell (5-9) L: Ira, Emily (13-7) S: Alyssa Malicki (1)

Game Recap: Softball | | WIU Athletic Communications

Western's Season Concludes in Fargo

Emily Ira struck out 13 batters in her final collegiate game

FARGO, N.D.- The Western Illinois (20-20) softball team saw its season come to an end after surrendering six unanswered runs to Purdue Fort Wayne (10-37) in a Summit League Championship opening round 7-5 loss on Wednesday evening (May 8).
 
The Leathernecks loaded the bases in the bottom of the first and Sydney Hollings drove in Payton Abbott on a single to left field. The next batter, Halle Hollatz delivered a sacrifice fly to right as Danielle Olson scored for an early 2-0 lead.
 
Even though Emily Ira picked up another strikeout in the top of the second, the ball squirted away and Rachel Everson scored from third with two down to cut the deficit in half, 2-1. Western got the run back when Abbott singled up the middle in the bottom half of the frame.
 
The bases were loaded again in the bottom of the fourth as Hailey Duwa laced a two-run single to right for a 5-1 advantage.
 
After Ira settled into a groove, the Mastodons rattled off three straight singles in the top of the sixth to load the bases. A walk to Alise Hale followed by a single from Morganne Denny trimmed the WIU lead to 5-3.
 
The Mastodons did not go down without a fight in the bottom of the seventh. Lacey Wilzbacher dropped a single into center to bring Abby Baez home. Brooke Imel provided the game-tying double in the right center gap to keep the game going tied at five runs apiece.
 
Extra innings were needed to decide this one as Abby Baez split the gap in left center to plate a pair of Mastodon runs in the top of the eighth.
 
Trailing for the first time of the contest, 7-5, Alyssa Ealy walked with one out and Madison Boone was hit by a pitch. An out later with two runners on, Danielle Olson represented the winning run at the plate and she popped out to second base.
 
Ira (13-7) matched her season-high of 13 strikeouts in her final collegiate outing and finished the season as the nation's leader in strikeout-to-walk ratio. The nine-game winning streak was the longest in program history since 2012.  
 
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