Randi Patton came through in the clutch with an RBI triple in the bottom of the eighth to hand Illinois State a 3-2 win over Western Illinois Tuesday. Earlier in the game, senior Emily Krueger hit her 14th home run of the season to break the ISU single-season home run record and tie the Missouri Valley Conference single season record.
Despite an injury and illness depleted lineup, Illinois State took an early lead in the bottom of the first after freshman Stacy Birk sent the Westerwinds down in order in the top of the frame. Krueger sent the first pitch over the wall in right center for her 14th bomb of the season, breaking Heather Stellas single season mark of 13 set in 1999. Krueger, with 20 career homers in a little over a year and a half, is on pace to break Stellas career home run mark of 25 in just two years. The Pleasant Plains, Ill., native also tied the Valley record for homers in a single season, set just last season by Northern Iowa's Angela Higgins.
Lauren Bierwirth followed Krueger with a single to left and stole to second while Patton was at the plate. Patton, a Golden, Colo. native, then laced a double into right field to score Bierwirth from second and put the Redbirds up 2-0 early.
Western Illinois got on the board in the fifth inning when catcher Erin Zeller led off with a single up the middle and was sacrificed over to second on a bunt by Lindsay Diehl. With two outs, second baseman Maureen Troller knocked an RBI double into right center to cut Illinois States lead to one. The Westerwinds plated another in the sixth off a Brooke Benson home run to left center, evening the score at 2-2.
With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Katie Guilbault received a base on balls to get things rolling for the Redbirds. Then Amy Ehret came in to pinch run and managed to score on Pattons triple to left center for the game winner.
Patton led the Redbird offense, going two-for-four with a double, a triple and two RBI. Junior catcher Ashley Ogorek also picked up her first hit of the season in the game. It was just the second hit of her career. Benson was two-for-three for Western Illinois.
Birk (12-4) picked up the win for the Redbirds. The Huntington Beach, Calif., native went the distance striking out three and walking none.
Redbird coach
Melinda Fischer was presented with the game ball from her 600th win at Illinois State prior to the game. The win came at Southern Illinois on Saturday, 6-1. Western Illinois head coach Kathy Veroni, an Illinois State alum, was also honored before the game. The contest marked Veronis final appearance at Redbird Softball Complex as the Westerwinds coach, as she is retiring from coaching after this season after 33 years as WIUs head coach.
The Redbirds will be back in action on Saturday in a noon doubleheader against SMS in Springfield, Mo.
