Who | Western Illinois (3-1) vs. Bradley (0-0)

Where | Louisville Slugger Sports Complex (Peoria, Ill.)

When | Friday, Feb. 19 - 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Twitter | @WIUSoftball

Quick Hits

• Fresh off of a stellar showing in the 2021 DePaul Dome Tournament, Western Illinois softball will next meet up with the Bradley Braves in Peoria, Ill., for a Friday doubleheader

• Both games are set to occur in the 'Slugger Dome' at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex. Fans can follow the action via live stats

• WIU is on a three-game winning streak after dropping their first contest of the spring

• Friday's slate will serve as the season opener for Bradley

Previously…

Last weekend was full of standout moments for the Leathernecks as they played four games in DePaul's hosted event. After taking a 3-1 loss against Valparaiso, WIU bounced back for a 1-0 win over Loyola-Chicago. In the seventh inning of that game, Meghan Henson earned a walk and reached second following a Loyola wild pitch. A perfectly-executed bunt from Abrianna Gracia led to loaded bases, and another base-on-balls from Loyola followed, securing the victory for Western. The Leathernecks had five hits in the contest - two of which came from Alyssa Ealy. Savannah Rodriguez (1-0) took the pitching win after striking out eight with zero earned runs in 7.0 innings. The victory also marked the first for head coach Alisa Goler as a Leatherneck.

Day two of the tournament saw more significant improvement from the Leathernecks. Western defeated Loyola again, 6-3, to start the morning. After the team piled a 3-0 burst in the fourth while only registering one hit, Sydney Hollings batted a 3 RBI homer to center field during the very next inning. Rodriguez (2-0) took the win once more - this time as a relief pitcher. She struck out seven in 4.0 innings and only allowed one earned run. Using their quickness, Ami Ill, Kyra Kroll, and Ashley Minyard combined to steal four bases, while Hollings contributed four RBIs.

In the tournament closer versus DePaul, WIU made a late, unforgettable comeback. Down 6-1 in the seventh inning, Goler's group erupted for six unanswered runs and caused the game to go extra innings. In the eighth, Minyard's sacrifice bunt gave Western its first lead of the game, 8-7. DePaul made a sacrifice bunt on their own, but two more putouts and a sliding fly-out catch by Hollings ceased the afternoon in WIU's favor. Rodriguez had four RBIs, and Maddy Anderson (1-0) picked up her first season win. She retired five in 3.2 innings.

Summit Standouts

Rodriguez's 0.64 ERA leads all Summit League pitchers after week one of play. The junior has 15 strikeouts thus far and picked up a shutout in the first win over Loyola-Chicago. Hollings is second in slugging percentage (.909) and home runs (2) while sitting at fifth in RBIs (5). Gracia's 21 putouts in 22 chances rank her sixth individually within fielding. 

A Historical Glance

Dating back to April 1980, WIU holds a 40-19 series record against Bradley. However, the Braves have won the last three matchups, with the most recent one happening on March 21, 2018.

The Scout

Taise Thompson enters the upperclassmen stage of her career after posting a .560 slugging percentage last season and leading Bradley in runs scored (15)… Thompson also collected 18 hits - tied for third-highest on the team… Stacia Steeson's 18 RBIs led the Braves in 2020, with her 19 hits and four homers both being second-best… As only a freshman, Grace French paced Bradley on the mound with a 2.75 ERA a season ago.