“Overall, it was a good weekend,” said head coach Geoff Hirai. “We fought all weekend but just came up short today.”
Illinois scored three runs in their first outing, tacking on a fourth in the third inning and five more in the fifth inning en route to a 9-1 victory. The Redhawks scored in the bottom of the fourth on an Erika Rodgers (Glendora, Calif.) RBI double to right center, bringing home Maddy Kristjanson (Mountlake Terrace, Wash.) who reached base on a walk.
In the day’s second game, the Redhawks and Spartans matched run-for-run over the first four innings. Each team scored a pair of runs in the second, tacking on four more apiece in the fourth, tied 6-6 after four innings.
San Jose State, however, would continue adding to their score with two more runs in the fifth and four in the sixth as the Redhawk scoring attack stalled.
Lindsay Davis (Palo Cedro, Calif.) and Alyssa Reuble (Lynnwood, Wash.) were credited losses in the pair of games while Illinois’ Taylor Edwards and San Jose State’s Colette Riggs picked up wins.
The Redhawks head to Portland State on Tuesday, Mar. 22 for a doubleheader at 3 p.m. before traveling back to California next weekend for the Gaucho Classic II in Santa Barbara, facing San Diego, UCSB, and Santa Clara.