Feb. 7, 2009
Final Stats
TAMPA, Fla. - Illinois State hit three home runs while outscoring UNC-Greensboro, 13-2, in the early morning game, but was shutout by Minnesota and their ace pitcher Briana Hassett, 2-0, in the second game at USF Softball Field during the USF Louisville Slugger Tournament Saturday.
Casey Gorrell went 4-for-5 with five RBI in the opening game and homered along with Michelle Henderson and Kaprice Williams. Henderson, who was 2-for-2 with three runs scored, started the surge by the Redbirds with her two-run blast to left center in the third inning. Illinois State plated three runs total in the third and added two more in the fourth, two in the sixth, and exploded for six runs in the seventh inning.
Illinois State received a strong pitching performance from Amber Smith, who failed to make it out of the second inning in the Redbirds' season-opening loss to Florida Gulf Coast Friday. Smith scattered four hits over six innings and struck out five. Her only blemish was a two-out, two-run home run by M.C. Vercoe in the sixth inning. Megan Warner pitched a scoreless seventh to close out the win for Illinois State.
In the second game, Hassett limited the Redbirds to three hits and struck out 11 batters. Niki Stansell had two of the Redbirds' hits, and Smith was 1-for-3 with a walk.
Jordan Birch pitched another solid game for the Redbirds after keeping the game against South Florida close Friday night. Birch struck out five in five innings but allowed nine walks.
Birch and the Redbirds ran into trouble in the third inning when Minnesota loaded the bases with no outs and the clean-up hitter, Natalie Neal, at the plate. Birch got Neal to pop-up to second base where Jess Roche dropped the ball and fired home to keep the runner at third from scoring. The umpire also called an infield fly to give the Redbirds a whacky double play. Birch walked the next batter to load the bases, however, and walked the next two to give the Golden Gophers their only runs of the contest.
The Redbirds moved to 1-3 on the season and conclude play at the USF Louisville Slugger Tournament against North Florida at 10 a.m. (CT) Sunday.
