CHICAGO (April 16, 2022) – Peyton Pepkowski tossed a complete game and struck out eight to lead Loyola University Chicago (11-21, 5-10 MVC) to a 4-2 victory over Illinois State (18-20, 8-6 MVC) Saturday afternoon at Loyola Softball Park in the rubber game of a three-game, weekend series. With the victory, the Ramblers claimed their first regular-season series victory over the Redbirds since joining the Missouri Valley Conference, taking two of the three games played in Rogers Park this weekend.
 
How It Happened
Loyola struck first, scoring three runs in the second inning despite recording only one hit. Walks by Abbey Jacobsen and Ava Bieneman were sandwiched around a Teagan Sopczak single that loaded the bases with no outs. A Nova Sinskul RBI groundout scored Jacobsen to open the scoring and Madison Ebelimg and Amelia Thomas would later coax back-to-back bases-loaded walks from ISU pitcher Hannah Ross to provide Pepkowski with an early 3-0 advantage.
 
Illinois State cut into Loyola's lead in the fourth inning and climbed within a run, plating a pair of runs thanks to a two-out double off the bat of Dayna Kennedy and a RBI single courtesy of Michele Calabrese.
 
The score stayed that way until the bottom of the fifth inning when Loyola gave Pepkowski some breathing room with an insurance run that nudged the score to 4-2. Ebeling got things cooking with a lead-off walk and back to back singles by Thomas and Haley Wallace gave the Ramblers a pair runners in scoring position. Jacobsen followed by lifting a sacrifice fly to right that was deep enough to score Ebeling and extend the Ramblers' lead.
 
From there, Pepkowski worked her way out of jams in both the sixth and seventh innings. The Redbirds brought the tying run to the plate in each of their final two turns at bat, but the rookie righthander was able to escape unscathed and give Loyola its first regular-season series win over ISU.
 
Inside The Numbers

• Loyola managed only five hits on the day, but scored four runs.
• Ebeling and Tori Boysen each drew a pair of walks and five of the first seven Ramblers in the batting order tallied a hit.
• Pepkowski improved to 8-7 on the year with the victory and in the process, became the first Rambler freshman since Brittany Gardner in 2011 to strike out 100 batters in a season.

 
Up Next
Loyola is back in action Wednesday, April 20 when it plays a doubleheader at Valparaiso at 1 p.m.