ROSEMONT, Ill. - With much anticipation to kick off the 2021 season, Western Illinois softball (1-1) bounced back from an early morning loss to capture a 1-0 victory over Loyola-Chicago at the 2021 DePaul Dome Tournament.

The win also marked the first for head coach Alisa Goler as a Leatherneck.

"I am so proud of how we responded after game one," said Goler. "I feel great teams can truly reset. Savannah Rodriguez was phenomenal on the mound, our defense was solid, and we had a lot of competitive, productive at-bats from different players in the box. Overall, it feels great to get that first win!"
 

Valparaiso 3, WIU 1

Valparaiso brought home a baserunner off of a double to center field at the bottom of the first - scoring the game's first run. Piper Foote helped get WIU on base in the third's top frame, stealing second after a walk. Later on, the Brown and Gold lined a solo bomb down the left field in the fourth's latter half, increasing their lead to 2-0.

Ashley Minyard got Western on the board after striking her own homer to left center in the top of the sixth. Valparaiso used its quickness on the bases to advantage, however, to steal two bases and finished a run off of a Western throwing error. The morning ended in walk-off style for Valparaiso.

Abby Carlin (0-1) took the loss but nonetheless struck out 12 batters in 6.0 innings of work. Valparaiso out-hit the Leathernecks 6-1.
 

WIU 1, Loyola-Chicago 0

Alyssa Ealy notched the game's first hit for either team and was left on base at the opening inning's conclusion. Loyola Chicago drew a walk early into the second. The Ramblers, however, were left stranded in a likewise fashion as Western's defense did not allow another opportunity to advance. 

Rodriguez continued to deal effectively in the third, striking out three straight. Ami Ill rattled a triple to center field for WIU's second hit of the day before Loyola left her also stranded as the third closed.

Sydney Hollings laced a two-out double in the bottom of the fourth before her Leathernecks once again took over on defense to complete three quick outs. After Maddy Anderson drew another WIU walk, a ground ball single from Ealy placed herself and Abrianna Gracia on base. A wild pitch from the Ramblers resulted in Gracia and Ealy moving to third and second, respectively. Loyola ended Western's chances off of two ground outs.

Rodriguez wasted no time in opening the sixth's bottom frame with a lead-off single. Underway in the seventh, Meghan Henson earned WIU's third walk and reached second following a Loyola wild pitch. A perfectly-executed bunt from Gracia led to the bases loaded, and a base-on-balls followed to secure the victory for Western.

Henson scored the lone run for WIU. The Leathernecks had five hits - two coming from Ealy, who was also credited with an RBI. Rodriguez (1-0) took the win after striking out eight with zero earned runs in 7.0 innings pitched.

WIU is back in tournament play tomorrow (Feb. 14) for two more games. A rematch versus Loyola-Chicago is set for 9 a.m., followed by an 11:30 a.m. DePaul matchup.