March 27, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
Continuing the Missouri Valley Conference race, the No. 17 Illinois State softball team hosts Indiana State for a mid-week matchup on March 28. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Redbird Softball Complex and the teams will play two games of the three game series in Wednesday's doubleheader.
The rubber match will be played in Terre Haute, Ind. on April 18. Illinois State is 6-1 at home on the year, taking three wins against visiting MVC foe Northern Iowa on March 17-18 and dropping its only home loss to Loyola (3-0) on March 14. The Redbirds (27-7, 5-1 MVC) are coming off a 2-1 weekend against Evansville where ISU picked up its first conference loss.
Indiana State is 15-13 on the year and 1-5 in the Valley after dropping a three-game set at home last weekend to Southern Illinois. The Sycamores are an even 4-4 on the year when playing in away games.
Illinois State owns a commanding 56-10 all-time series record against Indiana State. The Redbirds have won 18 straight games over the Sycamores, with the last loss to the MVC foe coming in the 2000 season. The last defeat was a 13-inning dual that finally saw Indiana State pull away from the `Birds, 4-0, in Terre Haute.
Last season, ISU swept the three game series, grabbing a pair of wins at Indiana State on March 28. The Redbirds scored in the top of the first and pulled away late for a 4-0 victory over the Sycamores in the Missouri Valley Conference series opener in Terre Haute. Then, the Redbirds used six hits to score five runs in the third inning of game two as they out-hit the Sycamores 12-3 and picked up a 9-1, five-inning victory. The third game of the series came on April 19 in Normal when Illinois State jumped out in front early and never looked back en route to a 10-1 win over Indiana State at Redbird Softball Complex to complete the three-game sweep of the Sycamores.
