Box Score

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers softball dropped the series opener with Illinois on Friday afternoon with the Fighting Illini taking a 6-1 victory at the RU Softball Complex.

Illinois 6, Rutgers 1

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

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• Graduate student LA Matthews captured her sixth home run of the season.
• RU totaled five hits with base hits belonging to redshirt sophomore Bailey Briggs, senior Georgia Ingle and freshmen Baileigh Burtis and Siera Hoekstra.
• Freshman Ella Harrison went the distance for a 17^th time this season dropping to 11-17 on the year. The rookie right-hander gave us two earned runs on seven hits. Her five strikeouts now put her five strikeouts away from cracking the Rutgers career top 10 and pushed her 199 strikeouts on the season, one away from becoming the first Scarlet Knight with over 200 K in a single season.

THE RUNDOWN

• The Fighting lllini struck with three runs on three hits and an error in the top of the second. Adisyn Caryl led off with a bunt and then, with two outs, was pushed across home plate on a double by Gabrielle Debevec down the right field line. Debevec scored as an infield miscue allowed Alaina Miller to reach and advance to second. After stealing third, Miller scored on an infield single to short from Yazzy Avila.
• LA Matthews gave RU its lone run in the bottom of the inning. One of four Scarlet Knights playing in their final Big Ten home series this weekend, Matthews drove an 0-1 count over the wall down the right field line for her sixth home run of the year.
• Illinois added a run in the third, sixth and seventh for the game's final margin. In the third, Eileen Donahue homered to left center. In the sixth, Debevec knocked in a run on a sac fly to left. The seventh saw Stevie Meade plate on a passed ball.

UP NEXT

The Rutgers-Illinois series continues with game two on Saturday at 11 a.m. and game three on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Saturday, April 26 will be Rutgers Softball Camper Appreciation Day with all former individual and team campers invited. Team camp attendees are asked to RSVP their team to Victoria Velez at v.velez@scarletknights.com.

Sunday, April 27 will be Senior Day with Jillian Anderson, Laurelai DePew, Georgia Ingle and LA Matthews honored following the game. 

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