CHAMPAIGN — The Fighting Illini softball team (21-26) was unable to complete a come-from-behind victory against Eastern Illinois University Wednesday evening, losing 4-3 in extra innings.
It was a quiet game for both teams until right at the end of the game, when both teams scored two runs in the sixth inning. The Illini made costly mistakes in extra innings, allowing Eastern Illinois to pull away for the win.
Takeaways
EIU: Eastern Illinois have now won 19 times, only losing three times to Illinois in the history of their program. Although EIU won, it was a tough battle for them early in the game. The Panthers could not get a hit on the ball until the fifth inning of the game. But once they were able to get hits on the ball, they started to put themselves in positions to score. The Panthers will continue on their road trip and travel to Western Illinois for a weekend series starting on Saturday at 12 P.M.
Illinois: It was an unfortunate ending for the Illini in this game. The team was able to stick with the Panthers for the majority of the game. When EIU scored, Illinois responded, but could not take the lead. Simple fielding mistakes that Illinois could fix would have won them the game. Right Fielder Delaney Mosley was the only player from Illinois to record more than one hit in the game (3-3). Illinois has a Big Ten weekend series coming up, and they cannot afford to make these mistakes on Friday.
Key moment
Heading into the ninth inning, no team was able to find a rhythm at the plate. Luckily for Eastern Illinois, they were able to get on base and were intentionally walked by Illinois. Then, a miscommunicated throw by Illinois allowed EIU to get past third base and run their way home for a two-run score. A costly error by the Illini allowed the Panthers to win the game and steal a game on the road.
Up Next
Illinois will host their final Big 10 weekend series against Ohio State University. The series will kick off on Friday at 5 P.M. at Eichelberger Field.