MARTIN, TN – Western Illinois Softball kicked off a 4-day road trip on Sunday, March 10, starting with a doubleheader against new conference rival UT Martin. WIU went on to lose game one by a score of 8-0, before pulling out a 2-1 victory to end the day even.
Lillie Wools took the mound in game one, and she got through the first inning allowing a single. UT Martin got on the board first, as they took a 1-0 lead in the second inning and would not look back.
The Western Illinois bats were cold in game one, as Gabriela Drager recorded the only hit of the game for the Leathernecks, a second-inning single. A monster fourth inning from the Skyhawks increased the lead to seven, and Martin would grab a bases-loaded RBI walk in the sixth to seal the game by a score of 8-0.
Game two was a different story, as Western Illinois came out hot. A double from freshman Malia Robertson gave the Leathernecks life early, and a single from Drager put runners at the corners in the first frame. Bella Alvarez knocked in Robertson with a single that gave the Leathernecks a 1-0 lead.
Emily Price started on the mound for the Leathernecks in game two, and the senior put together a phenomenal performance. She got through the Skyhawks in the first frame, allowing a single, and striking out one. She then sat down the UT Martin offense in order in the second and third frames, fanning three batters in the pair of innings.
In the top of the fourth, senior Bella Alvarez doubled the Leatherneck lead, belting a solo home run over the left field wall. The homer marked Alvarez’s third of the season, who homered twice against IUPUI on February 24. Georgia Rea and Sophia Sanchez also collected hits in the frame, but they were not brought home as the inning ended with a score of 2-0.
Price gave up a single and a double in the fourth, allowing her only run of the game as the Skyhawks cut the lead in half. After that, Price did her thing in the final three innings, only allowing a seventh-inning single as she picked up her fourth win of the season in dominant fashion.
With the victory, Western Illinois reached ten wins, which is the most for the Leathernecks since 2021. Coming up, Western looks to take the series against Martin on Monday at 11 AM, before taking on Kansas City (Tuesday) and Saint Louis (Wednesday) on the road later this week.
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