Who | Western Illinois (11-19, 2-6) vs. Drake (6-21, 2-7)

Where | Des Moines, Iowa (Buel Field)

When | Tuesday, Apr. 6 - 4:30 p.m. & 7 p.m.

Watch | ESPN 3/+

Twitter | @WIUSoftball
 

Quick Hits

• Before taking on a third Summit League series test, Western Illinois softball will visit Drake in a non-league matchup. A doubleheader headlines late Tuesday afternoon (Apr. 6), beginning at 4:30 p.m.

• Along with Eastern Illinois, Drake is one of two final non-league teams that WIU is set to face this remaining season

• For a second straight series, Sydney Hollings and Savannah Rodriguez both slammed homers this past weekend. Versus South Dakota State, Hollings upped her total to eight, and Rodriguez bumped up to five. Both veterans still stand in the league's top five for that category
   

Previously…

South Dakota State completed a four-game weekend series sweep over the Leathernecks April 2-3. In her first at-bat of the series opener, Rodriguez laced a 3 RBI homer down right-center and out of the park, giving WIU a first-inning lead. Abrianna Gracia, Piper Foote, and Ashley Minyard all chipped in a hit apiece. However, SDSU's strong batting helped them complete a 12-3 finish in five innings.

Homers continued to fall for SDSU in game two, as the team delivered one each in the second, fifth, and seventh innings. WIU's first hits arrived from Gracia and Rodriguez in the fourth's bottom half. Gracia first singled to shortstop, and Rodriguez followed with a single to right-field. Hollings' walk gave the Leathernecks one more chance to make something happen in the seventh, but SDSU's defense ended things on two strikeouts, 7-0.

Day two began with an intense late morning outing. Western's first run of the day happened on a Hollings solo bomb. A triple by the Jackrabbits reeled in a run of their own to even things in the fifth. After seeing hits from Kellie Marcheschi and Rodriguez, Hollings helped WIU regain its lead on a sacrifice fly to bring home pinch-runner Torince Muczynski. Down 2-1 in the top of the seventh, SDSU refused to go away quietly. The group first reached home plate on a wild pitch and then homered for a solo bomb, jumping ahead 3-2. Alyssa Ealy gave Western another chance after tripling in the bottom of the seventh, but SDSU's defense caused a final swinging strikeout and a 3-2 victory. Five different Leathernecks contributed a hit each, while Hollings chipped in two RBI.

The weekend closer was a story of home runs for SDSU, as the Jackrabbits piled three of those in a stretch of five at-bats in the third inning. Bella Alvarez gave WIU its first hit in the bottom of the third, singling to left-center. Following a period of heavy defensive play by both sides, SDSU added a few more insurance runs in the final two innings. A 2 RBI homer first took place, and a pair of additional runs closed out the margin.
 

A Historical Glance

An all-time competitive series has been active since Apr. 1983, with Western leading 22-17. The most recent meeting happened on Valentine's Day in 2016, when Drake took a 5-2 decision at a neutral site.
 

The Scout

The Bulldogs are coming off a home weekend tilt against Illinois State, in which they went 1-2… Macy Johnson has stood out with a team-leading batting average (.500) and slugging percentage for Drake (.660)… the senior also holds 47 hits and 23 runs… three additional Bulldogs have plugged in 22 or more hits… Nicole Timmons ranks first in starts (10) and second in appearances on the mound (14)… she has struck out the most batters faced (66)… Addie Lightner leads in total RBI (18) and home runs (4).