May 1, 2011
Box Score
NORMAL, Ill. -
Liz Andrews hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh and scored Jhavon Hamilton to give the Illinois State softball team (33-15, 19-4 MVC) a 5-4 victory over Missouri Valley Conference rival Southern Illinois (33-15, 15-5 MVC) Sunday afternoon. The win gives the Redbirds sole possession of first place in the Valley standings.
Andrews went 2-for-4 with one run and a RBI. Nichelle Harrison had two hits, two RBIs and scored one run, while Kara Nelson was 2-for-3 at the plate with a run batted in (RBI).
Megan Warner recorded her second win of the weekend, improving her record to 14-6. Warner allowed three hits and no runs in five innings of relief.
Southern Illinois scored first for the first time in the three-game series, pushing across three runs on three hits in the top of the first. The three runs came off of one hit, as Taylor Orsburn hit a shot over the center field wall to give SIU an early lead, 3-0.
It didn't take long for the Redbirds to answer back to the Salukis' three-run inning. Elizabeth Kay and Andrews hit back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second. The duo advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch by Danielle Glosson, who walked Sara Bradley to load the bases. Harrison hit a single through the gap on the left side to push across Kay and Andrews, cutting SIU's lead to one run, 3-2, through two innings.
Mallory Duran silenced the Redbird cheers with a leadoff homer in the third, increasing the Salukis' lead to two, 4-2. Warner, who replaced Jordan Birch, came in to work out of a jam and left two Southern Illinois runners stranded to end the inning.
Nelson extended her hitting streak to 25 games with a single in the third. Nelson and Kay, who walked, moved into scoring position on a wild pitch by Glosson, but were unable to score before the end of the inning.
After four innings of scoreless softball for ISU, the Redbirds rallied in the bottom of the seventh, as they scored three runs on three hits. Jessica Roche, who pinch hit, got things started for the Redbirds with a leadoff walk. Harrison singled through the left side to put runners at first and second. Hamilton scored Roche with a single to right field and moved Harrison to third base. Nelson hit a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Harrison from third. With two outs, Kay struck out swinging, but SIU's Christina Trapani couldn't control the pitch, and Kay made it safely to first. With the bases loaded and two outs, Andrews singled through the right side of the infield and scored Hamilton from third. The hit won the game for the Redbirds, 5-4.
Illinois State will travel to Omaha, Neb., for its final three-game series of the regular-conference season beginning Saturday, May 7 at noon against Creighton.
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