April 2, 2011
Box Score
NORMAL, Ill. -
Sophomore Jhavon Hamilton finished a perfect 5-for-5 and scored four runs in a pair of Illinois State victories over Missouri Valley Conference foe Missouri State Saturday afternoon at Marian Kneer Stadium. The Redbirds (18-11, 5-1 MVC) downed the Bears (13-13, 4-3 MVC), 5-2, in the opener, before taking game two, 8-0, in five innings.
Freshman Laura Canopy came up with the big hit for ISU in game one, belting a three-run homer to deep center to give the Redbirds a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Canopy's blast, her third of the season, plated freshman Kolby Hoffman and junior Liz Andrews.
Illinois State extended their lead by tacking on another run in the bottom half of the fifth. Hamilton, senior Kara Nelson and sophomore Lauren Kellar led off the inning with three-straight singles before sophomore Elizabeth Kay drew a bases loaded walk.
Missouri State trimmed the ISU advantage to 4-1 on an RBI groundout by Christa Gammon in the top of the sixth, but Illinois State would answer in the bottom of the frame with a run on Hamilton's solo home run to right.
The Bears would plate another run in the seventh, before junior Megan Warner sealed the victory and improved to 7-5 on the season. Warner struck out six, walked two and gave up seven hits inside the circle.
The Redbirds jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in game two, taking advantage of several Missouri State miscues. Kellar reached on a one-out error, advanced to second on a wild pitch, scampered to third on a passed ball and later scored on yet another wild pitch from MSU starter Savannah Wiggins.
Senior Abby Olson connected for her team-leading seventh long ball of the season in the bottom of the third, to put ISU up 2-0, after junior Jordan Birch pitched out of a jam in the top of the frame.
Illinois State opened up a 6-0 advantage in the bottom of the fourth, plating four runs on four hits. Kellar doubled off the top of the wall in left center to drive in Hamilton and redshirt freshman Nichelle Harrison. Olson then cleaned the bases with a two-run single up the middle to score Nelson and Kellar for her 23rd and 24th RBIs of the season.
ISU sealed its second win of the afternoon in the bottom of the fifth, after a one-out solo homer by redshirt freshman Sara Bradley and a walk-off home run by Hamilton, her second of the day.
Birch was stellar inside the circle for the Redbirds, striking out a season-high 10 without issuing a walk to improve her record 8-1 on the season. The junior pitcher has now earned victories in her last six starts and has struck out 27, while walking only one in her last three.
The Redbirds will look to complete the sweep of the Bears tomorrow at 12 p.m. at Marian Kneer Stadium.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
