The Scarlet Knights opened Big Ten Conference play on a rainy, 45-degree day at Eichelberger Field in Urbana, Ill.

In Friday’s game, Jaden Vickers started for Rutgers, and had noticeable control problems in the early going as the Illini got two aboard in both the first and second innings. But, she was able to pitch out of it both times to keep Illinois off the board.

But it would be Rutgers which would break the scoreless tie when, with two outs in the third inning, right fielder Kobie Hura turned on a pitch from Illini starter Sydney Sickels, and launched a shot that rang off the foul pole in left field to give the Knights the lead, 1-0.

Rutgers added one more in the inning when catcher Katie Wingert took ball four with the bases loaded to give RU the 2-0 lead.

However, when the Illini again got two runners aboard in the third, head coach Kristen Butler had seen enough, and Vickers was lifted in favor of unbeaten Ashley Hitchcock. Despite the senior’s best efforts, the Illini were able to tie the game 2-2.

From there, the weather turned worse, and as Payton Lincavage prepared to lead off in the top of the fifth inning, the skies opened and the tarp was rolled out onto the field. The game was suspended, to be completed on Saturday.

As the game resumed on Saturday, Sickels took to the circle to pick up where she left off. However, three hard hit balls prompted her to be relieved in favor of senior Addy Jarvis. While the Knights got the bases loaded in the inning, they could not bring home a run, and so the score remained tied as the game went to the bottom of the fifth.

Morgan Smith moved from the outfield to the circle as the new Rutgers pitcher, and she promptly gave up a leadoff double to third baseman Delaney Rummell. A passed ball allowed Rummell to take third, and she subsequently scored on an RBI double by junior Megan Ward.

But again, the lead was short-lived, as Calista Collins chalked up her first career homer in the top of the sixth to once again tie the game, 3-3.

Rutgers then took the lead when Lincavage doubled to drive home Kyleigh Sand before Smith homered to break the game open, 6-3. By the time Wingert hit her twenty-seventh career homer to make the game 7-3, the five-run rally all but sealed the game.

While Illinois did pick up two runs in the bottom of the sixth, a nifty Sand-to-Withstandley double play ended the rally to keep the score at 7-5. From there, Georgia Ingle finished the job as she got the Illini to go down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh to take the first game of the series and their first Big Ten Conference win of the season.

The offensive explosion in game one by the Knights featured four home runs and three doubles, which were part of the 12 total hits for Rutgers in the game. While RU did commit an error, the defense came through when it was needed most in the form of an inning-ending, rally-killing double play. With the victory, Smith moved to 4-3 on the year with a credited save to Ingle, which was her second of the season. Jarvis took the loss for Illinois, as her record dropped to 3-1.

The series continues this weekend with the previously-scheduled Saturday game against Illinois before concluding with game three on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. The Scarlet Knights then return home to face Purdue on March 31.