Freshman righthander Stacy Birk fired a three-hit shutout in game one and picked up a save in game two with two more scoreless innings as Illinois State swept a doubleheader from Indiana State 3-0, 1-0 in Missouri Valley Conference softball Wednesday at Price Field.
Birk, the reigning Valley Pitcher of the Week, struck out eight and walked none in a complete-game shutout in game one. In game two, Dominique Borba's sixth-inning RBI single was the only run of the game, with freshman Shannon Nicholson (5-5) picking up the pitching win and Birk her first save of the season.
The Redbirds, 16-13 overall, 4-4 in the Valley, play a weekend series against Drake at the Redbird Softball Complex carrying a three-game winning streak. The Sycamores, 17-20, 1-7 in the Valley, have dropped seven straight.
In the opener, Katie Guilbault doubled in a first-inning run and Emily Krueger's two-run single in the seventh put two more on the board in support of the pitching master of Birk (8-3). Birk has 24 innings pitched without allowing an earned run, earning four wins and a save during that streak.
"Stacey was strong in the first game and did what she needed to do to get outs in the second game," said Redbird coach
Melinda Fischer. "Shannon pitched five strong innnigs. We had more scoring opportunities (today) than we have in recent games. We just need to step up in the scoring opportunities."
The Redbirds took the lead in their first frame of the first game. After two out, Kate Stake singled to right and Guilbault drove her in with a line drive double to left.
Lauren Birwirth's leadoff single in the seventh started the rally for the final two runs. Indiana State mishandled Carly Weinstein's attempt to sacrifice and both runners were safe. Randi Patton sacrificed the runners to second and third before Bierwirth got hung up between third and home on Mandy Garner's grounder. While Bierwirth was retired, she stayed in a run-down long enought to get Weinstein to third and Garner to second, allowing both to score on Krueger's single to right.
Game two was a pitcher's dual between the Redbirds' Nicholson and Sycamore lefty Sammi Whitcomb. Each allowed a hit in the first inning, but those were the last hits until Borba smashed a single off Whitcomb's leg to lead off the fifth. The 'Birds loaded the bases that inning, but couldn't score.
Nicholson pitched out of a first-and-third, one-out jam in the bottom of the fifth with the help of her catcher. Ashley Ogorek threw out a would-be base-stealer for the second out, and Nicholson ended the threat by retiring Alissa Hendrickson on a ground ball to short.
"Ashley's throw was big for us," said Fischer. "We made the routine plays most of the day."
After one out in the sixth, Stake, Guilbault and Borba strung singles together to put the 'Birds on the board. After a Sarah Kothe leadoff double in the sixth, Birk relieved Nicholson in the circle and retired the two-three-four hitters in the Sycamore lineup to preserve the lead.
