After a tough weekend series with the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the Billikens rebounded well on Tuesday, winning both games against Western Illinois. The Billikens did drop two of three against UAB, however.
Freshman starting pitcher Lorena Floccari won both of the games, which took place in Macomb, Ill. Floccari pitched all 14 innings on Tuesday to earn both wins.
The bats were not absent either for the Billikens, who posted five runs in each of the two games. The Billikens' bats responded to Western Illinois every time the Westerwinds put a run on the board. It was that clutch hitting, coupled with Floccari's precision, that led to the sweep.
In the first game, the Billiken offense wasted no time in getting Floccari some run support. Senior centerfielder Adrienne May led the game with a walk, and subsequently stole second base. Junior shortstop Ashlee Heady walked as well to put runners on first and second.
With two outs and Heady and May still on their respective bases, junior rightfileder Logan Justice drove in both runs with a double. That gave the Billikens a 2-0 lead, one which they would never relinquish.
The Bills finished the game off, scoring one run in each of the final three innings.
Heady hit an RBI double to allow May, who tripled before her, to score in the top of the fifth. In the sixth, May hit an RBI single to score freshman pinch runner Kristi Rasnic. Rasnic pinch ran for senior designated hitter Beth Schomaker, who walked.
Junior first baseman AshLeigh Williams drove in the Billikens' final run of the game in the top of the seventh. Williams' double scored freshman leftfielder Kara Sell, who pre-empted the double with a walk.
Floccari allowed nine total hits to Western Illinois in the first game, but yielded only two earned runs.
The Billiken bats came alive again in the top of the first inning, in the nightcap. Again, the Bills put three runs on the board to quell any hopes that the Westerwinds had of a victory.
May started the party again with a walk and advanced to second base on a wild pitch.
Heady laid down a picture-perfect sacrifice bunt to move May along to third base. May scored due to an error by Western Illinois on a ground ball hit to third base by Williams. Later, Williams scored on an RBI single by Schomaker. Sophomore catcher Allison Appenfeller hit an RBI single to plate the final Billiken run of the first.
The Billikens capped off their scoring for the day in the top of the third inning. Justice laced a triple to set the table for freshman second baseman Katie Hoffrath. Hoffrath then bombed her first home run of her young career to put the Billikens up 5-1.
Floccari was stellar in the nightcap as well, allowing only two earned runs. She pitched well when in trouble, considering the Westerwinds scored four total runs, but tallied 12 hits against the freshman hurler. The Billikens won the game, 5-4.
The awakening of the Billikens' bats could not have come at a better time, after they were outscored 16-3 in a three-game series against UAB. The Billikens did manage to win the first game of the series 2-1, however. They subsequently dropped the next two, 11-1 and 3-2, respectively.
Next up for the softball team is a three-game series this weekend in Houston. The Cougars will host the Billikens for a double-header on Saturday and one more game on Sunday.
The series against Houston is the middle third of a nine-game road trip for the Billikens. They will return home April 16 to host Conference USA rival DePaul for a three-game series.
