March 26, 2012
NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State softball team will step out of Missouri Valley Conference play for a midweek tilt at in-state rival Northern Illinois Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. in DeKalb, Ill. The meeting will be the 75th in series history between the Redbirds and Huskies, but the first since 2009, when NIU bested ISU, 5-3 in DeKalb.
Illinois State (18-13, 5-1 MVC) swept Valley foe Wichita State in a three-game set last weekend at Marian Kneer Stadium in the home-opening series for the Redbirds. ISU topped the Shockers 3-0 in the opener, behind senior pitcher Jordan Birch's one-hit, 11-strikeout performance, before earning a 5-3 victory in Saturday's nightcap. Birch was once again stellar in the circle in the series finale, allowing just one run on two hits in a 4-1 win for Illinois State. For her efforts, Birch was named the MVC Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season and became only the third pitcher in school history to record 500-career strikeouts.
Sophomore Laura Canopy and freshman Kelsey Turczyn led Illinois State at the plate, as Canopy extended her hitting streak to 10 games, going 5-for-7 in the Wichita State series with her first-career triple and a pair of runs scored. Turczyn recorded two hits in three at bats as a pinch hitter, belting a game-tying solo homer, the first of her career, in Saturday's nightcap, before driving in three runs with a bases-clearing to propel the Redbirds to a win in Sunday's series finale. On the year, Canopy leads ISU with a .359 average and leads all Valley hitters with a .688 batting average and .747 on-base percentage in league games.
Northern Illinois (12-13, 0-0 MAC) will be at home for the first time this season when it welcomes the Redbirds to Mary M. Bell Field, and will play its first game since March 18, after going 3-2 in Clearwater, Fla. The Huskies opened the USF Series with a pair of wins over Towson and Bryant, before falling in three-straight to North Florida, South Florida and Boston.
Stephanie Tofft leads NIU offensively with an impressive .420 batting average to go along with four doubles, two triples and three home runs. Tofft is second on the team with 20 RBI and is getting on base at a .484 clip. Shelby Miller has provided power in the middle of the Huskies' lineup, connecting for a team-best seven homers and 21 RBI. In the circle, Megan Dortch leads the staff with a 9-8 record and 2.12 ERA. The freshman righty has fanned 121 opposing hitters in her 95.2 innings of work and is holding opponents to a .197 batting average.
Illinois State leads the all-time series, 45-28-1, and has won 11 of the last 15 meetings. Prior to NIU's win over the Redbirds in 2009, ISU had won seven-straight against the Huskies.
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