CEDAR FALLS, IA - Western Illinois Softball resumed play in the 2024 Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic on Saturday, playing their third and fourth games of the season against Butler and Drake.
The Leathernecks faced off first against Butler, getting an early start with an 8 AM first pitch. The first four innings of this one were dominated by pitching and defense, as
Emily Price threw four perfect innings with seven strikeouts against the 12 batters she faced.
In the fifth, the Bulldogs finally got to Price, leading off the inning with a triple. After Price allowed an RBI single that gave Butler a 1-0 lead, she was replaced by freshman
Lillie Wools, who finished out the remainder of the contest. The Leathernecks would allow one more run in the inning on a wild pitch, giving the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead.
Western would also get their first baserunner in the fifth, as sophomore
Rylee Boone led off the inning with a double. Western would strand Boone in the frame, with three consecutive outs.
Lillie Wools would pitch a solid sixth and seventh innings, keeping the Bulldogs from crossing home plate by allowing only a single in each frame.
Starting the bottom of the seventh,
Gabriela Drager led off with a single to left, and Boone followed her with a single.
Kayla DePoorter laid down a successful sacrifice bunt to move
Alivia Beard, who pinch ran for Drager, and Boone to third and second. After a flyout,
Abrianna Gracia came to the plate with the Leathernecks down to their final out. She would hit an RBI single that scored Beard, cutting the deficit in half.
Malia Robertson drew a walk to load the bases, bringing up fellow freshman
Valerie Combs with the game on the line. Combs would pop up to short, ending the game with Butler grabbing a 2-1 win.
The Leathernecks would have to quickly turn around, playing the Drake Bulldogs just after the completion of the Butler game.
Sophia Sanchez led things off with a single, and after swiping second base,
Lillie Wools would hit a single into center to bring her home, ending the frame with a 1-0 lead.
Drake would also come out swinging to start, leading off with a double in the bottom of the first. After a pair of walks off of starting pitcher
Raven Morrison, the Bulldogs equalized on a fielder's choice that brought home a runner.
Morrison would go one-two-three in the second, quickly shutting down the Drake bats.
In the top of the third,
Malia Robertson hit a single into center, then immediately stole second base. After a pair of outs,
Gabriela Drager brought Robertson home with a triple, as the Leathernecks gained a 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the third.
Drake would rally in the bottom of the third, rattling off seven runs in the inning off of seven hits. The Bulldogs took an 8-2 lead leaving the inning, a lead they would not relinquish.
Both squads saw three up, three down in the fourth, before Drake would tack on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, ending the game on a run rule with a score of 10-2.
Coming up, Western will finish off the 2024 Doc Halverson UNI-Dome classic with a 4:30 PM matchup against Northern Iowa, which will be streamed on ESPN+.
