Illinois State looks to change its fortunes as the Birds travel to Des Moines, Iowa for a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series against Drake this weekend. The Redbirds game earlier this week at Western Illinois was suspended after one inning due inclement weather.
Theres no question this is a big weekend for us, ISU head coach
Melinda Fischer said. We have an opportunity to do a little catching (in the league race), and we need to go out and give it our best shot. We need to take care of things one at a time. But playing our game is what we really need to concentrate on doing.
Drake has what the Redbirds want, a winning streak. The Bulldogs are riding a five-game winning streak, while ISU is mired in a six-game losing streak. Drake owns a 7-7 valley record, which includes wins over Southern Illinois and SMS, two teams that the Birds failed to notch a win against the past two weekends.
While Illinois State handed Creighton its lone league loss thus far in 2005, Drake fell to the Bluejays in two close games in Omaha. The Bulldogs have been a bit streaky this season. They started the season with a loss to conference rival Northern Iowa, and then went on to win eight straight games before losing their next eight. Prior to its current win streak, Drake lost three straight conference games. Former Illinois State assistant coach, Rich Calvert, coaches the Drake Bulldogs.
Currently, the Bulldogs are fifth in the league and the Birds are sixth. Both teams are fighting for a berth in the Valley Tournament. Only the top six teams in the league compete in the tournament for a chance at an NCAA bid.
One encouraging sign for the Redbird offense is the fact that it got a hit in the first inning against Western Illinois before the game was suspended.
Last season, the Birds swept the Bulldogs in three games at Redbird Softball Complex. In game one, Stacy Birk picked up the win, tossing a two-hit 4-0 shutout. Illinois State got home runs from Mandy Garner and Kate Stake in the opener.
After ISU scored a run in the first inning of the nightcap on back-to-back singles, a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch, Drake got its offense going. The Bulldogs scored seven runs in the bottom of the first to take a 7-1 lead as the Redbirds used three pitchers in the inning. But ISU chipped away at the lead, tying the game at 7-7 to send it to extra innings. Illinois State scored six runs in the top of the eighth to claim the 13-7 win. In game three, the Birds got four runs on two home runs en route to a 4-2 victory to earn the conference series sweep. Under
Melinda Fischer, ISU is 37-13 all-time against the Bulldogs.
The Redbirds current losing streak is the only time this season that they have lost back-to-back games. Prior to the streak, they were able to bounce back immediately with a win after their losses. The six-game losing streak they are mired in is longer than any of their win streaks in 2005.
