Even after claiming a walk-off victory on Tuesday, Illinois (14-17, 1-5) still has work to do. A young team gains experience as the season rolls along, but another strong opponent is on the docket for the Illini.
Prior to Tuesday’s win over Western Illinois (8-24), Illinois suffered seven consecutive losses, two of which were by double digits. Illinois’ singular Big Ten win is one of the lowest marks in the conference. The team’s next opponent, in-state rival Northwestern (18-11-1, 7-0), currently leads the conference with its dangerous team.
What to improve
Leaving runners on base has been a major issue for Illinois. In a 17-5 run-rule defeat to Washington (26-9, 4-2), eight Illinois runners were stranded. Sometimes, regaining momentum is all about getting one more hit to drive in a run or two.
Before that can happen, batters must reach base. Even with the hitters’ wind, Illinois struggled to get runners on base against Washington. Illinois was down 14-0 before it finally got its first baserunner, but nothing surfaced.
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Against Western Illinois, a 4-0 lead vanished into thin air after an error in center field. That directly led to the Leathernecks’ sophomore infielder Payton Brown clearing the bases to tie the game. Two more errors led to two more Leatherneck runs. Although the Illini got the job done in the end, the errors continue to loom over them.
Illinois committed four errors against Washington, which harmed them as the game progressed. To have a chance in Evanston, the Illini can improve on cleaning up the fielding mistakes and bringing a few more runners home.
That ball is gone-ahue!
One player that has picked it up at the plate is sophomore first baseman Eileen Donahue. She has crushed home runs in back-to-back games, bringing five runners home in the process. Donahue has become a dinger threat in the cleanup spot, and that is the power the Illini can build off of.
Youth is the defining quality of the Illini, and Donahue is one of the reasons for that reputation. Along with her, sophomore third baseman Adisyn Caryl has displayed the clutch gene a handful of times. Caryl has a few walk-offs under her belt, including the recent one against the Leathernecks.
An optimistic outlook
Despite the 12-run margin of victory, as well as being unable to plate a handful of runners, Illinois fought late against Washington. Illinois loaded the bases through some small ball, but could only plate one run.
As stated, finding a way to bring those runners home can mean the difference between victory and defeat. The first inning of a washed-out second game showed that the Illini were not going to go down quietly. They had a runner on second base with Donahue at the dish before Mother Nature had her say.
A greater sense of urgency seemed to cross the Illini’s mind, and it is a must-have for this weekend. Higher intensity shows more determination and a desire to win. If the Illini are clicking and building on the little things, this can lead to some remarkable moments this weekend.
When is this rivalry series?
Strangely, Illinois and Northwestern will not square up at Sharon J. Drysdale Field on Friday. Instead, the three-game set will begin on Saturday at 2 p.m. There will be two more games following: Sunday at 2 p.m., then Monday at 4 p.m.
