ROSEMONT, Ill. (February 13, 2021)
 
In Short
Alyssa Ealy's bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted Western Illinois (1-1) to a 1-0 victory over Loyola University Chicago (0-2) this afternoon at The Dome in Rosemont. The loss is the Ramblers' second walk-off defeat in as many days to open the 2021 campaign.
 
How It Happened
Loyola was unable to muster much offense against Leathernecks starter Savannah Rodriguez, who scattered three hits and struck out eight Ramblers in a complete-game victory. Rodriguez didn't allow a Rambler to advance past second base the entire contest, but her pitching efforts were nearly matched by a trio of Loyola hurlers.
 
Western Illinois had a golden scoring opportunity in the bottom of the fifth inning, putting runners at second and third with one out, but Dani Brown came on in relief of Sydney Ruggles to work the Ramblers out of the jam and keep the game scoreless.  
 
Back-to-back walks to start the bottom of the seventh put WIU in position to earn the win and a Loyola error loaded the bases before Ealy was able to coax a walk from Bri Clifton to secure the win.
 
A Look at the Numbers

• Allyson Ivey, Jocelyn Currie and Abbey Jacobsen tallied Loyola's only hits on the afternoon.
• Ruggles surrendered four hits and struck out three in 4.1 innings of work in a no-decision.
• Ealy went 2-for-3 with a walk and a RBI to lead a Western Illinois offense that managed only five hits on the day.

 
Up Next
Loyola and DePaul face off at 2 p.m. CT today.