March 25, 2007
Box Score
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Tiffany Prager and Kelsey Warning both turned in 2-for-4 performances from the plate and tallied a pair of RBI each, leading the No. 17 Illinois State softball team over Missouri Valley Conference rival Evansville, 7-4, Sunday afternoon at Cooper Stadium. Jessie Buker and Casey Gorrell added to the offensive production, as each blasted home runs in the victory.
Picking up the win, Illinois State improves to 27-7 on the year, 5-1 in Valley action. Evansville moves to 18-8 overall, 3-5 in the MVC.
"All-around, I thought we played a much better softball game today than we did in game two yesterday," said Redbird head coach Melinda Fischer. "Evansville hit Stacy (Birk) well but their hits were scattered and they weren't able to score runs easily. She came up with some key hits in key situations and pitched well for us, especially in that lost inning. Tiffany (Prager) and Kelsey (Warning) really battled offensively. They put the ball in play and that's exactly what we needed them to do."
Buker opened the game in the exact fashion she did yesterday when the sophomore utility player roped an Ashley Hobbs pitch over the left field wall to give ISU a 1-0 advantage in the top of the second. Buker took three straight balls before Hobbs battled back for a full count. The home run was the eighth of the year for the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week.
Illinois State added a pair of runs in the top of the third, as Prager smacked a single into center field to score Chelsea Turner, who was pinch running for designated player Michelle Henderson. First baseman Amber Smith then joined Prager on the bases, smacking a hard hit ball to Aces' shortstop Krista Price, to put runners on first and second. Redbird right fielder Warning collected her first hit and RBI of the day, hitting a double into deep left field, near the foul poll, to plate Prager and give the `Birds a 3-0 lead.
The Purple Aces attempted a comeback in the bottom of the fourth, when ISU starter Stacy Birk hit two batters and Buker made an uncharacteristic error at shortstop to load the Evansville bases. But Birk battled to strike out the next UE batter, catcher Liz Mooney, for the second out of the inning. Weslie Gladfelter was next up for the Aces and got behind in the count 1-2 before launching a long shot to center field. Redbird centerfilder Jackie Williams made an unbelievable catch to end the inning, grabbing the ball over her left shoulder just a step before the warning track.
Evansville got on the board in the fifth when Brittany Herald hit a single through the right side to earn two RBI as Werner and Kemna, who both reached on singles, crossed to cut the ISU lead to one, 3-2. Gorrell answered for the `Birds in the top of the sixth, however, blasting a two-run shot into left field for her sixth long ball of the season. The two homers marked the 13th multiple home run game of the season for Illinois State, as the Redbirds have now hit 47 on the season, just four shy of the ISU single-season record. ISU has outscored their opponents 123-45 in the games they have hit multiple shots.
But the Aces weren't done scoring, adding a pair of runs in the bottom half of the sixth. Amanda Ockomon, who was pinch hitting for Mooney, hammered a two-run homer, her fourth of the season, to center field. Birk then retired three straight Purple Aces' batters to end the inning.
Up by one in the final inning, the Redbirds scored two additional runs to go up, 7-4. Kara Nelson opened the inning with a double to center field and scored on a Prager single up the middle. Prager advanced to second on the throw home and then took third on a Smith sacrifice fly to center. With two outs, Warning hit an RBI single through the middle of the infield to plate Prager.
Illinois State continues Missouri Valley Conference action at home next week, taking on Indiana State in a 3 p.m. doubleheader on Wednesday, March 28.
