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George Hartmann

Western Illinois Softball Faces North Dakota

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

Leathernecks will play three more games at home this weekend.

Who | Western Illinois (5-21, 1-2) vs North Dakota (11-24, 1-2)
When | Saturday (April 2), 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. | Sunday (April 3), 11 a.m.
Where | Mary Ellen McKee Stadium – Macomb, Ill.
Social Media | Instagram and Twitter + #TRADITIONofTOUGH


Matchup history: 
The Leathernecks and Fighting Hawks have played nine times in program history, dating back to the first series matchup in February of 2012. Despite not playing a single one of those games at home, Western holds a 6-3 advantage in the series. Last season, Western Illinois went on the road to play four games in Grand Forks, winning two and losing two.
 
Abby Carlin went the distance in the first game, allowing seven hits and one run (one earned) in a 2-1 victory, while Piper Foote, Gabriela Drager and Savannah Rodriguez all recorded hits. Rodriguez pitched in game two, going six innings and allowing six hits, three runs (two earned) and one base on balls while striking out seven as the Leathernecks fell in a tight one, 0-3. 

Maddy Anderson started the third game of that series, striking out three and allowing one hit across four innings of work before Rodriguez came on for the save, allowing one hit and striking out three more in three innings of work. Abrianna Gracia, Ami Ill and Bella Alvarez recorded hits in the game, with Alvarez coming around to score on a sacrifice fly in the third inning. Western would go on to win 2-0 before falling 1-2 in the series finale despite another strong outing from Abby Carlin.


Scouting the Leathernecks: 
Western's offense came alive this past weekend, as the Leathernecks scored 14 runs on Saturday alone while recording 18 hits across all three games. Ami Ill continued to boost her team-leading batting average with four hits in three games, and Torince Muczynski went 3-7 (.429) with hits in each of the three matchups. Kaylee Ketcherside found a groove at the plate again this weekend, recording a hit in all three games and scoring two runs. Ketcherside now ranks second on the team in batting average (.291) behind Ill (.315).
 
Savannah Rodriguez had a strong weekend for Western Illinois, both in the box and circle. She went 5.2 innings while allowing eight hits and five runs (four earned) while striking out seven on Sunday, and was close to getting out of innings unscathed on multiple occasions, as all five of the Tommy runs came with two outs. In the batter's box, the Woodridge, Ill., native had a huge weekend, finishing 4-10 (.400) with one extra-base hit, two runs and an RBI while recording hits in each of the three games – including a two-hit performance in the 9-8 victory on Saturday.
 
Bella Alvarez played a pivotal role in getting the offense going during the Saturday doubleheader, finishing with two hits, one double and four RBIs across both games. She was also a force for the Leatherneck defense against St. Thomas, playing primarily at third base and finishing with a perfect fielding percentage on ten total chances. Along with Alvarez, Gabriela Drager had a strong weekend in the field and at the plate, as she held a perfect fielding percentage on her five chances while finishing the series with two hits, two RBIs and a double.
 
Abby Carlin pitched quite well against St. Thomas, playing in all three games. She started the weekend with a three-inning relief appearance in game one of the doubleheader before starting game two and coming on in relief during game three. In total, she allowed eight hits and nine runs (one earned) while walking two and striking out 11 across 7.1 innings of work. Her 67 strikeouts this season is the fifth-best in the Summit League while her 2.33 ERA ranks third-best.


Scouting the Fighting Hawks:
North Dakota is 11-24 this season and coming off a 1-2 weekend on the road at Kansas City. Two of those three games went into eight innings, with the Fighting Hawks winning one and losing the other. Madi Moore leads the team with a .311 average, though UND holds a team average of .224 from the plate. North Dakota's pitchers have found some success this season, with Jannay Jones' 2.66 ERA ranking seventh among Summit League pitchers.


What's next: 
Western Illinois is headed on the road for the next three Summit League series starting next weekend in Brookings, S.D., facing the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. A doubleheader is scheduled for Saturday (April 9) with games at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., followed by an 11 a.m. game on Sunday.
 
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