March 17, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
Crushing seven home runs in two games, the No. 17 Illinois State softball team took a pair of Missouri Valley Conference wins from visiting Northern Iowa, 11-8 and 12-4, on Saturday afternoon at Redbird Softball Complex. Six `Birds recorded a long ball with senior Kelsey Warning collecting a pair as the Redbirds improve to 22-6 on the year and 2-0 in the Valley.
Combined, ISU and UNI hit 11 homers on the day as the Panthers recorded 18 hits, while the `Birds tallied 24. Illinois State pitchers Stacy Birk and Amber Smith split duties in the circle, with each picking up a win. The victory was the first decision of Smith's pitching career.
Head coach Melinda Fischer recognized on the offensive production from both lineups.
"It was definitely a hitters' day," said Fischer. "We also made some plays when we needed to defensively, but we were able to get our bats going and keep them going and that was great to see. I thought after starting out pretty shaky in the first inning, progressively got better and got some key outs. Her play was quite encouraging. I'm really pleased with our offensive production."
With two outs in the top of the first, Northern Iowa's Jen Larsen smacked her fifth home run of the year off Illinois State starter Birk. Larsen's two-run shot cleared the right field wall and gave the Panthers an early 2-0 lead. Responding with two runs in the bottom of the first, Redbirds Warning and Jessie Buker were credited with RBIs, knotting the score at 2-2.
After a scoreless second inning, Northern Iowa plated another three runs, as Larsen hit her second homer of the game in as many at bats, a two-run shot to right field. Down 5-2 in the bottom of the second, ISU lead off batter Kara Nelson launched a solo long ball off her former high school teammate Larsen. The hit, coming on a one-ball, two-strike count, was the first home run for the freshman on the season and brought the `Birds within two, 5-3. Birk then tied the game, driving in two runs for the `Birds with a single to left field, plating Smith, who reached on a walk, and Buker, who got on with her second double of the ball game.
In the top of the fourth, Birk gave up a third home run to Panther catcher Kelly Papesh, the inning's lead off batter. But the Redbird defense battled with the bases loaded, ending the inning without further damage as UNI took the lead, 6-5. Continuing the back-and-fourth style of play, ISU scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 7-6 advantage. Nelson smacked a triple to score Jackie Williams, who got on after a fielding error by UNI's shortstop, and Nelson came around to score on a Tiffany Prager single.
Holding the Panthers scoreless in the top of the sixth, the Illinois State offense continued their hot hitting, as Warning and Birk launched back-to-back homers for four more ISU runs. It was the second time in 2007 the `Birds had accomplished the back-to-back feat and improved their lead, 11-6.
UNI's Ashley Lepley continued to fight for the visitors, smacking the Panthers' fourth home run of the game off Birk. Lepley's long ball scored two runs, but Birk struck out the final Northern Iowa batter to secure the 11-8 Illinois State win. The two teams combined to hit seven home runs in the game and it was the second time this season that UNI hit four homers in a single contest but didn't come away with the victory. Nelson led the `Birds with a 3-for-3 effort, hitting a home run, a triple and a single. Birk went 3-for-four with three RBI, while Warning and Buker both collected two hits in four at bats.
Game two saw more hard hitting from the Panthers, as they jumped out to a first inning 3-0 lead, courtesy of four hits off Redbird starter Smith. Buker drove in her second RBI of the day in the bottom of the first, hitting a single to left field that scored Nelson from third. Northern Iowa pitcher Ashley Lepley then walked consecutive `Bird batters with the bases loaded, knotting the score at three. Illinois State batted all the way through the lineup in the bottom of the first.
Northern Iowa added a run in the top of the third when Larsen scored on a Rachel Gerking double to left center. Smith retired the next two batters, however, collecting a pair of strikeouts in the inning. Warning tied the game at four with her second home run of the day in the next half inning, a solo shot to left field. She has hit 10 total homers on the year and is currently tied for fourth on the Illinois State career home runs list.
Williams opened the bottom of the fourth with a double off the center field wall and scored on another Nelson single. Prager and Smith followed with singles of their own to load the bases and each runner advanced a base on a ball that skipped past Panther catcher Papesh. With runners on second and third, Buker smoked a Sarah Bakey pitch to left field for her first homer of the day and fourth of the year. Scoring five runs in the bottom of the fourth, Illinois State took its first lead of the game, 9-4. Buker finished with a 4-for-7 effort on the day, tabbing a homer and a pair of doubles.
Padding their lead and ending the game in five innings, ISU smacked two more home runs in the bottom of the fifth for three runs and the second win of the day. Williams roped a pitch over the center field wall for her third shot of the year and Smith ended the game two batters later with a walk-off home run that plated two. The long ball was the fourth of the season for Smith as she moves into third on the ISU career homers list. Hitting three shots in the first game and four in the second, the Redbirds have hit 37 home runs on the year, including 11 multiple home run games and in those games have out-scored their competition 102-35.
The Panthers and the `Birds will play the third game of the series on Sunday at the Redbird Softball Complex.
