The Illinois State softball team capped off its fall tournament with an extra inning intrasquad match that ended 1-0 in favor of the upperclassmen in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Illinois State white team, comprised of upperclassmen, downed Saint Xavier 4-0 in the first game Sunday. Then the red team followed with a 5-2 win over Illinois Central College.
In the opener, all but one of the Redbirds' runs came as the result of a home run. Kate Stake put the 'Birds on the board in the top of the first with a two-out solo shot to left, putting ISU up 1-0. Fellow senior Mandy Garner helped the 'Birds tack on two more runs in the third with a two-run shot to center to give Illinois State a 3-0 lead. Amy Ehret drove in the final run of the game in the fourth with an RBI single to right center. Sophomore Shannon Nicholson picked up the win, with an impressive 12 strikeouts in the game.
The red team started out slow against ICC before coming alive in the second to score two runs on four hits. But ICC tied it up in the bottom half of the inning with two runs of their own on four hits. The 'Birds added a run in the third after a couple walks and an RBI single by sophomore Jackie Williams. Freshman Christy Colgan then plated two runs in the fifth on a two-run blast to left center, giving the Redbirds a 5-2 victory.
In the final game, an intrasquad scrimmage, it was Mandy Garner drive up the middle that scored the lone run of the game in the bottom of the eighth giving the upperclassmen a 1-0 win over their teammates to wrap up the tournament.
