Feb. 17, 2012
Box Score
TEMPE, Ariz. -
The Illinois State softball team plated 17 runs in a pair of victories Friday afternoon at the Littlewood Classic in Tempe, Ariz., to improve to 5-1 on the season. The Redbirds bested Iowa State, 10-2, in six innings, before notching a 7-3 win over Iowa in the nightcap.
Senior Caiti Kopp led ISU offensively, finishing the day 4-for-7 at the plate with five RBI and four runs scored. Fellow senior Liz Andrews also posted a pair of multiple-hit performances and scored three times.
In the circle, senior Jordan Birch had a career day against the Hawkeyes to improve to 4-0 on the year. Birch fanned a career-high 14 opposing hitters to bring her season strikeout total to 34 in 18 innings. Fellow senior Megan Warner earned the win in game one, allowing two earned runs on six hits in the complete-game effort.
After a scoreless first, Illinois State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opener by plating a pair of runs in the bottom of the second. Sophomore Laura Canopy led off the inning with a solo homer to center and redshirt sophomore Nichelle Harrison drove in Kopp with a sacrifice fly to center later in the frame.
The Redbirds doubled their lead in the bottom of the third on a two-run double by junior Elizabeth Kay. Junior Lauren Kellar singled up the middle to start the inning and Andrews followed with a double, before Kay's line drive down the left field line.
Iowa State got on the board by scoring two runs on four hits in its half of the fourth, but Warner limited the damage and the Cyclones left the bases loaded. ISU answered by scoring four runs in the fifth, highlighted by sophomore Kolby Hoffman's two-run triple to right center.
Kopp delivered an RBI single up the middle in the sixth and Hoffman drew a bases-loaded walk to end the game for her third RBI of the contest to give Illinois State the 10-2 win.
In the nightcap, Iowa got to Birch early, using two-out hits in both the first and second innings to take a 2-0 lead. Katie Keim drove in Megan Blank with a two-out double in the first and Johnni Dowling drove a two-out single through the right side to score Brianna Luna in the second.
Hawkeye starter Chelsea Lyon held the Redbirds hitless for three innings, before they tied the game with a four-hit stanza in the fourth. Andrews and Canopy led off the inning with back-to-back singles and Kopp halved the Iowa advantage with a double down the left field line that scored Andrews. Harrison knotted the score at 2-2 on a short single to left to score Canopy. With the bases loaded and only one out, Lyon pitched out of the jam, getting a pair of groundouts to end the threat.
ISU opened up the game by taking advantage of a pair of Hawkeye errors, resulting in a five-run seventh. Hoffman found herself on second to start the inning, after Iowa right fielder Luna misplayed a fly ball. Kellar advanced Hoffman to third on a sacrifice bunt and junior Jhavon Hamilton gave Illinois State a 3-2 lead with a single through the right side.
After Andrews reached on a catcher's interference call and Canopy walked to load the bases, Kopp delivered the bit hit of the inning, clearing the bases with a deep double to left center that extended the Redbird margin to 6-2. Redshirt sophomore Sara Bradley capped the inning with a single to left that scored Kopp.
Birch allowed a run on two hits in the bottom of the seventh, but struck out the side for the third time in the game for her 14th strikeout.
Illinois State continues the Littlewood Classic Saturday afternoon against Central Michigan and Minnesota. The Redbirds are slated to play the Chippewas at 12 p.m.and the Golden Gophers at 4 p.m.
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