Nicole Kurth tossed a complete game shutout and Illinois State made a fourth-inning run stand up in a 1-0 win over South Carolina in NCAA Regional softball action Friday afternoon. The Redbirds advance to a Friday night game against top-seeded Notre Dame.
In the fourth, April Schermann opened with one of her team-high two hits, a single to right. She gave way to pinch runner Stephanie Beyer. Jamie Bagnall sacrificed Beyer to second before a fielder's choice put Katie Shifflet on first and Beyer on third. Beyer scored on Abbie Scott's fielder's choice.
Kurth, who threw a perfect game in a 4-0 win over Western Illinois Thursday, did not record a strike out, but also issued just one walk and pitched around a Redbird error. South Carolina managed five hits, but only once did the Gamecocks get two safeties in the same.
An error and a hit, the third of the day for first baseman Danielle Quinones, gave South Carolina a scoring threat in the seventh. The Gamecocks had runners on second and third with two outs, but Kurth coaxed a foul pop up from Megan Donohoo to end the game.
Illinois State, now 37-17, collides with Notre Dame at 7 p.m., and needs a victory to stay alive in the double elimination tournament. The Redbirds are 2-1 in the regional with a 2-1 loss to Iowa, and the wins over Western Illinois and South Carolina.
South Carolina concluded its season with a 40-20-1 mark.
