April 12, 2010
ILLINOIS STATE (22-10, 10-0 MVC) VS ILLINOIS (27-5, 3-2, BIG TEN) | NORMAL, Ill.
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| Game |
Tuesday, April. 13 vs. Illinois (5 p.m.) | Audio | Video | Live Stats |
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Location
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Normal, Ill. | Marian Kneer Softball Stadium
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| Radio |
 WJBC.com (Kyle Anderson| Play-by-Play)
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NORMAL, Ill. –Riding a 12-game winning streak, the Illinois State softball team will host in-state rival No. 18 Illinois in a midweek match-up Tuesday at Marian Kneer Stadium in Normal, Ill. The game is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. The Redbirds last loss came against the Fighting Illini March 17, in Urbana, Ill.
Tuesday is “Strike Out Breast Cancer Night” at the Marian Kneer Softball Stadium. Fans are encouraged to wear pink for breast cancer awareness. Admission, hot dogs and pink lemonade are only one dollar each.
Live stats for the game will be available on GoRedbirds.com.
Illinois leads the all-time series against Illinois State, owning an 8-5 advantage over the Redbirds. Earlier this season, ISU fell to the Illini, 8-7. The Redbirds hit two homers in the game, but lost to the Fighting Illini after committing five errors in the game with three coming in the bottom of the first.
Illinois State is led by Kara Nelson, who leads all Valley players in batting average (.451), hits (51) and doubles (14). In the Evansville series, Nelson was 5-for-8 with three extra base hits, including a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth in Sunday’s game. She also recorded a .625 batting average in the series.
Abby Olson leads the Redbirds with 14 home runs, a .936 slugging percentage and 40 hits in 94 at bats. Olson leads the Valley in slugging percentage (.936), on base percentage (.538), RBI (41) and is tied for first with 14 homers.
The Redbirds' pitching staff owns a combined 4.09 ERA entering Tuesday’s game. ISU is holding opposing batters to a .243 batting average. Jordan Birch grabbed two wins against Evansville over the weekend and improved her record to 11-5. She leads the Redbird battery with the most wins, while Megan Warner holds a record of 9-4.
The Redbirds are coming off a three-game series sweep over MVC rival Evansville. Illinois State is flawless in Valley play after winning its first 10 conference games.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, TRC gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
