Nicole Kurth had 14 strikeouts and allowed two runs leading the way for the Redbirds as the Illinois State softball team ended its three-game series with Southern Illinois with a 3-2 victory at the Redbird Softball Complex, Sunday.
With the win, Illinois State (21-10, 10-1) secured the top spot in the Valley standings, suffering only one loss in conference, while Southern Illinois fell to 24-11 overall, 10-3 in the MVC.
Hot off a no-hitter from Saturday against the Salukis, Kurth came out dominating again today pitching the complete game for ISU. On the series, Kurth had 41 strikeouts, three runs and three walks while getting her second career no-hitter and shattering the ISU single-game record for strikouts in a game (she had 18 in the no-hitter from Saturday.)
The Salukis got on the board first Sunday when Erin Stremsterfer hit a home run over the left center wall to boost SIU by one in the second. Bridget Fournie answered for the Redbirds when in a bases loaded situation in the third, the center fielder lined a ball to right field, hitting a Bird baserunner resulting in a fielders choice that scored two runs.
With ISU up by one,
Katie Shifflet hit an RBI single in the sixth to lift the Redbirds by two and while Southern struggled to gain the lead in the seventh, knocking home one run, the Birds held on for the one-run win.
Shifflet was 2-of-3 on the day while
Abbie Scott was 1-for-2 with one run.
Jamie Bagnall,
Corey Harris,
Becky McMurtry and
Jenni Neeley also contributed a hit for Illinois State.
The Redbirds travel to Chicago on Tuesday to take on DePaul in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.
