It was the battle of the undefeated in Valley softball, and Illinois State came out on top as the Redbirds defeated Wichita State 1-0, Saturday, at Wilkins Stadium.
Head coach
Melinda Fischer was very pleased with the effort of the Redbirds.
It was a tough game to play for both teams, and we battled well, said Fischer. We were finally able to put something together back-to-back in the fifth and sixth innings.
The Redbirds opened the ballgame by going three-up-three-down in the first and second innings and recorded two base hits in the third. The Shockers got a hit in each of the first three innings but both teams were unable to capitalize. Despite the Redbirds getting another hit in the fifth and the Shockers reaching first base on a Redbird error, the game remained scoreless through five innings.
The Redbirds opened the sixth inning with a base hit by senior Abbie Scott. With two outs, designated hitter Emily Krueger stepped up and hit a single to right field to drive home Scott. Illinois State took the lead at 1-0. In the bottom of the sixth, Wichita State led off with a double, but the Birds managed to hold the Shockers with three fly outs.
Illinois State had another opportunity to score in the seventh, but was retired on a Shocker double play. In the bottom of the seventh, Redbird pitcher Audra Rast struck out Wichita States first batter. Shocker Lisa Clary hit a single to center field and stole second. Tina Lewis then hit a single to left field and advanced Clary to third. Rast struck out the next Shocker batter for the second out, while Lewis stole second. The final Shocker batter lined out to Redbird shortstop Dominique Borba, as Illinois State held out for the 1-0 victory.
Rast improved her record to 8-8, and hurled nine strikeouts. She gave up three walks and six hits.
Audra pitched really well for us and had some key pitches in some key situations, said Fischer.
Lauren Bierwirth leads the Redbirds at bat and continued to do so today by going 2-for-2. Scott and Krueger both went 1-for-3, and Katie Shifflet and Randi Patton were 1-for-2.
Due to cold temperatures, the scheduled doubleheader for Saturday, March 29, was reduced to a single game and postponed until Sunday, March 30, beginning at 11 a.m.
The Redbirds are now 14-15 overall and 7-0 in the Valley.
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