What | Western Illinois (12-20, 2-6) at North Dakota (11-22, 3-5)

Where | Apollo Park (Grand Forks, N.D.)

When | Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11 (12 p.m. and 2 p.m.)

Twitter | @WIUSoftball
 

Quick Hits

• Western Illinois softball continues its road stretch at North Dakota this weekend for a week three Summit League series

• The Leathernecks most recently had a non-league stop at Drake on Tuesday (April 6), splitting 1-1 in a doubleheader

• This will be WIU's first road series in 2021 league play

• North Dakota sits at the fifth spot within league standings

• The Fighting Hawks' live-streaming platform, UND-Insider, will stream all four games
   

Previously…

Western dropped game one of the Drake doubleheader, 5-0. The first base hit by either team came from Sydney Hollings on a single in the second inning. Drake went ahead on the board by putting together a three-run third frame. A 2 RBI double was nailed to left-center, followed by a sacrifice fly that rang in an additional run. Two triples by the Bulldogs helped extend their lead to 5-0 in the fourth's bottom portion. Bella Alvarez gave WIU its second hit in the fifth. Western entered the seventh still trailing by five, and Ashley Minyard singled through the left side with two outs. The senior would be left stranded, however, as Drake's defense caused a final strikeout.

Game two opened up with effective batting from the Leathernecks. Abrianna Gracia and Hollings singled to reach second and first, respectively. An RBI double from Rodriguez placed Western's first run on the board in an opening frame that saw three Leatherneck hits. Two unearned runs by Drake had the Bulldogs narrowly ahead by the first inning's conclusion. Alyssa Ealy opened the fifth in strong style - homering to right-field on a leadoff hit. Minutes later, Hollings doubled to the opposite side with Piper Foote on second base, resulting in yet another run and WIU retaking the lead, 3-2. The defense proved as a difference-maker throughout the evening, as Western hung on for the victory.

Hollings finished the day with a total of three hits and an RBI. WIU outhit Drake 8-7 in game two, with four additional Leathernecks totaling one apiece. Rodriguez also took the pitching win (4-6) after striking out four Bulldogs and allowing zero runs in six innings. Abby Carlin earned her second save of the spring.
 

Locked-In League Leaders

Rodriguez remains in the league's top five for batting average (.348), hits (32), and home runs (5). Hollings is third in homers (8) and fifth in slugging percentage (.685) while tying with Rodriguez for fourth in RBI (23). Foote stands fourth in on-base percentage (.431) and sixth in runs scored (21). The sophomore also still rests at the top of drawn walks (17). Carlin is second in batters struck out (105).
 

A Historical Glance

WIU and North Dakota do not have much history, as the all-time series began only back in Feb. 2012. The Leathernecks lead 4-1 in five meetings, having swept in three games versus the Fighting Hawks most recently back on April 19-20, 2019.
 

The Scout

Madi Moore maintains the highest batting average (.297)... she and two other North Dakota batters have registered 21 or more hits… pitcher Adrianna Dilal has made 11 starts of 13 appearances on the mound, holding a team-low 3.14 ERA and 4-5 record… Madison Pederson's 12 RBI is a team-best, and Alexys Campos leads in runs scored (13)… last week, the Fighting Hawks produced a season-high in runs scored (9) at South Dakota.
 

Weekends Well-Spent

This year, due to reductions in non-conference play for most programs, The Summit League has expanded its league schedule to four-game series, as opponents will face off in two doubleheaders each weekend. The previous league format was a three-game weekend series - one doubleheader and one single game. WIU has one remaining home series and a single-game matchup versus Eastern Illinois on April 22.