April 23, 2011
Box Score
DES MOINES, Iowa -
The Illinois State softball team pulled even with Drake atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings with a 5-2 win over the Bulldogs Saturday afternoon at Buel Field in Des Moines, Iowa. The victory was the 30th of the season for the Redbirds, improving them to 30-14 on the year and 16-3 in the Valley.
After a pair of scoreless innings, the Redbirds scored a pair of unearned runs in the top of the third to take an early 2-0 lead. Redshirt freshman Nichelle Harrison led off the inning with a single to left and moved into scoring position on a bunt by sophomore Jhavon Hamilton. Harrison came around to score on a Drake error, when Molly McClelland couldn't hang on a throw from Torey Craddock that would have retired Kara Nelson. Sophomore Lauren Kellar followed with a single to right and later came around to score on a single by sophomore Elizabeth Kay.
McClelland made up for her error in the bottom of the third, taking a pitch from junior Jordan Birch over the left field wall to cut the Redbird lead in half at 2-1.
Kellar collected her second hit of the game, when she led off the fifth with a triple off the center field wall for her fifth three-bagger of the season. Senior Abby Olson immediately followed with an RBI single through the left side, putting ISU in front 3-1.
Illinois State added to their lead by plating two more in the top of the sixth. Harrison reached on a bunt single to lead off the inning, Hamilton followed with a walk and both advanced on a wild pitch to put runners on second and third with no outs. Kellar hit a deep fly ball to right field that allowed Harrison to tag and score and Hamilton crossed the plate after Bulldog shortstop Lindsey Vande Wall mishandled a ground ball off the bat of Olson, extending the Redbird lead to 5-1.
Drake plated a run in the bottom of the inning on Nicole Randel's RBI double off the center field wall that scored Vande Wall from second. Junior Megan Warner was called out of the bullpen to seal the win, retiring the next two hitters with a strikeout and a ground out.
Warner completed the save opportunity in the bottom of the seventh, giving ISU the 5-2 win and pushing them to the top of the MVC standings.
Birch improved to 14-3 with the win, allowing two runs in her 5.1 innings of work. The Monroe, Wash., native scattered seven hits and struck out three, while issuing three walks.
The Redbirds will return to the diamond Tuesday afternoon, when they head to Terre Haute, Ind., to finish a three-game series with Indiana State. Illinois State took both games from the Sycamores last Wednesday in a doubleheader at Marian Kneer Stadium.
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