May 9, 2010
Final Stats
PEORIA, Ill. -
After shutting out Bradley (15-34, 5-21 MVC) in three-straight games over the weekend, the Illinois State (32-16, 19-5 MVC) softball team completed the three-game sweep with a series finale win, 6-0, Sunday at the Laura Bradley Park in Peoria, Ill. With the win, the Redbirds finished the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season play in second place.
With the second-place finish, Illinois State earned a double-bye in the State Farm MVC Softball Tournament, along with Southern Illinois, who finished first in regular season play.
Lauren Kellar was perfect at the plate going 3-for-3 and scoring one run. Abby Olson was 2-for-3, drove in two Redbird runs and scored one run. Kara Nelson and Niki Stansell each scored two runs in the victory.
Kellar recorded the first hit of the game for either team in the top of the third with a double to right center field. Kellar scored on a single to right field by Jhavon Hamilton to give the Redbirds a one-run lead. Hamilton moved into scoring position on a grounder by Nelson, but would not score.
Olson hit a stand up double to the right center field wall to lead off the top of the fourth. Michelle Henderson singled to shallow left center field and moved Olson over to third base. With runners on the corners, the Redbird batters were not able to push any runs across keeping ISU's lead at one run.
In the fifth, Stansell hit a single to right center field and miscommunication between the Bradley outfielders allowed Nelson to score from first base and lengthened ISU's lead by two. Elizabeth Kay hit a double and tried to stretch it into a triple, but was tagged out. Before the tag, Kay's hit pushed across two more Redbird runs stretching Illinois State's lead by four.
Nelson hit a single to right field to start the seventh inning and quickly moved over to third on a double down the left field line by Stansell. Olson drove in Nelson and Stansell with a single to right field, but was thrown out when she tried to stretch the single to a double. The single increased ISU's lead by six runs.
Megan Warner struck out three and grabbed the win, which improved her record to 14-8. The win was the second-straight shutout for the sophomore from Milan, Ill.
Illinois State will travel to Des Moines, Iowa, to compete in the 2010 State Farm MVC Tournament Thursday-Saturday. Illinois State's first game will be Friday at 1:30 p.m. ISU will have to wait and see how Thursday's games play out before they know who they will face Friday afternoon.
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