ROSEMONT, Ill. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – The Green Bay softball team opened the 2017 campaign on Friday evening at the Total Control Sports Invitational in Rosemont, Ill., falling to Western Illinois, 8-2, on opening day. Allie Taylor tallied two RBIs for the Phoenix on a double to left field in the loss.

Western Illinois 8, Green Bay 2       

Western Illinois (1-0) jumped out to an early lead over the Phoenix (0-1), plating one run in the first inning off of a pair of hits and a sacrifice fly. The Leathernecks would go on to score the next seven runs of the ball game to lead things 8-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning.

Green Bay started to get things rolling in the bottom of the sixth, beginning with an Abby Brinkmeier single to left field that advanced Hailee Frey to second, who reached earlier in the inning on a fielder's choice to third base.

 Next to the plate with runners on first and second and two outs in the inning was Allie Taylor and she was not going to let the opportunity go to waste. Taylor smacked a double to left field that plated Brinkmeier and Frey for the first Phoenix runs of the season, avoiding the enforcement of the eight-run rule and ensuring Green Bay a plate appearance in the seventh inning.

After holding the Leathernecks scoreless in the top of the inning, the Phoenix was unable to gather any runs of its own, falling to Western Illinois 8-2 to open the season.

The Phoenix will return to the diamond on tomorrow afternoon to face Butler at 2 p.m. followed by a matchup with Loyola at 4:30 p.m.

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