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Tori
George Hartmann

On the Road Again

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

After winning last weekend’s series, Leatherneck softball will face South Dakota State in Brookings.

Who | Western Illinois (7-22, 3-3) at South Dakota State (23-9, 4-2)
When | Saturday (April 9), 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. | Sunday (April 10), 11 a.m.
Where | Jackrabbit Softball Stadium – Brookings, S.D.
Social Media | Instagram and Twitter + #TRADITIONofTOUGH


Matchup history: 
The Leathernecks and Jackrabbits have faced off 41 times in program history, with Western holding a 25-16 edge in the all-time series. The Leathernecks did struggle against this opponent last season, going winless in four games played on April 2 and 3 of 2021. Despite the losses, there were several players who had standout performances in the four-game series.
 
Savannah Rodriguez showed up in a big way for Western's offense, opening the series with a three-run bomb to left filed in the bottom of the first inning of game one to score Abrianna Gracia and Piper Foote, giving Western a 3-0 lead. Rodriguez added a single in game two and double in game three to cap off a good weekend of play. Abby Carlin started the third game of the series and went the distance, giving up seven hits and striking out seven in a close game that finished with a one-run differential between the teams. Rodriguez and Maddy Anderson combined to strike out six in the final game of the series as Bella Alvarez got on with a single to left-center in the bottom of the third.

Scouting the Leathernecks: 
Western Illinois is coming off of its first series victory of the season, taking both games of Saturday's doubleheader against North Dakota. After struggling with errors against St. Thomas, Western's defense came alive with a perfect fielding percentage on Saturday that included multiple diving catches by players like Bella Alvarez and Ami Ill. Georgia Rea (first base), Gabriela Drager (second base), Abrianna Gracia (shortstop) and Alvarez (third base) kept a perfect fielding percentage in their combined 40-plus total chances.
 
Abby Carlin started and went the distance in game one on Saturday, earning her sixth win of the season while outlasting the UND starter in a memorable pitching duel. In seven innings of work she allowed three hits and walked one, striking out five of the 23 batters she faced. Saturday's performance was Carlin's second complete-game shutout of the season, as she struck out ten in a 2-0 victory over Evansville on March 13. Carlin now ranks third in the Summit League for ERA (2.13) and sixth in strikeouts (77), and her save in game two moved her into third place among Summit League pitchers for saves this season.
 
Maddy Anderson started in the circle for game two on Saturday and pitched well, allowing four hits and two runs (two earned) while striking out one across four innings of work. The junior from Waukesha, Wis., also made her presence known offensively with a one-out pinch-hit single to put runners on the corners. She would score two plays later with aggressive base running to capitalize on a UND error and tie the game at 2-2. Kaylee Ketcherside finished that same game 2-3 with a run scored as Savannah Rodriguez and Abby Carlin finished the game in the circle without allowing a run.
 
Ami Ill had another strong weekend for the Leathernecks, improving her team-leading batting average to .333 with two multi-hit performances. After reaching on an error and scoring a run in game one, she went 2-4 and 3-4 in games two and three of the series to finish the weekend 5-11 (.455) without committing an error as the team's starting center fielder. The three-hit performance tied a career-high for Ill, who has accomplished the feat one other time in her career, and her batting average is now a top-10 mark among all Summit League hitters.

Scouting the Jackrabbits:
South Dakota State is currently 23-9 (4-2) on the season, most recently winning the weekend series at South Dakota 2-1. The Jackrabbits boast two of the top pitchers in the Summit League by ERA (second and fourth, respectively), while also having three of the top six batting averages. Cylie Halvorson's eight home runs leads SDSU and ranks second in the Summit League as SDSU currnetly sits atop the league standings. 

What's next: 
After this weekend's showdown with South Dakota State, Western Illinois will remain on the road for the next set of games, heading to Fargo, N.D., to face the North Dakota State Bison. Games one and two of the series are scheduled for Friday (April 15) at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., and will be followed by an 11 a.m. matchup on Saturday (April 16). 
 
 
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