MACOMB, Ill. - In any sport, Senior Day always creates a special feeling for both players, coaches, and families involved. On Sunday (April 25) for Western Illinois softball (16-29, 6-14), this notion became even stronger. Seeing their season cut short last March amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Leathernecks could not enjoy the yearly day of celebration. This year, four seniors - Alyssa Ealy, Meghan Henson, Sydney Hollings, and Ashley Minyard - received recognition before Sunday's first game began. Additionally, a pair of 2020 graduates - Halle Hollatz and Jasmine Lara - made the trip back to Macomb to support and were able to collect senior gifts of their own.
Kansas City won both outings of a Summit League doubleheader over WIU at Sunday afternoon's conclusion.
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Game One
KC 3, WIU 0
Western achieved several nice defensive plays early on, but Kansas City seized momentum in the third inning. All three of the Roos' runs happened during the frame, first on an RBI single. The score went up by two on the next at-bat, seeing a 2 RBI double.
The KC defense made it difficult for WIU's batters throughout the contest. Savannah Rodriguez landed the team's only hit in the seventh, delivering a two-out single to left-center. Ami Ill was the only other Leatherneck to reach base, having drawn a walk earlier.Â
Abby Carlin and Maddy Anderson each had as many strikeouts as innings of work, with four and three, respectively.
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Game Two
KC 7, WIU 4
After the Roos pieced three runs in the series closer's opening frame, Gabriela Drager stepped up to put her Leathernecks in the scoring column. Late in the first, with Ill on second base, Drager connected nicely on an RBI double through the gap in left-center. It was the freshman's first RBI of the spring.
KC added another run in the second to go up 4-1. Nonetheless, the Leathernecks kept fighting to cut into the lead during its half at the plate, as Rodriguez delivered a picture-perfect 2 RBI single, running in Ealy and Minyard.
Both teams again traded runs in the fourth. After KC posted another RBI single, Hollings homered a solo run right over the McKee Stadium scoreboard. The hit now has her at 12 total long balls this season. Her feat ranks third-best all-time in a single season at WIU; Jess Stanforth was the last to accomplish such a high mark in 2005.
Leading 5-4, KC added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh. The three-run advantage would be enough to give the Roos a comfortable finish in the series sweep.
Western noticeably improved its batting performance from the first game to the second, tallying seven total. Three of those were credited to Rodriguez, with Hollings adding two. Rodriguez also stood out with two RBI. All four runs were scored by a different Leatherneck.
One more regular-season league series remains on WIU's schedule. The team heads to South Dakota this upcoming weekend (May 1-2) for a four-game slate.
