March 5, 2012
Box Score
ORLANDO, Fla. -
The Illinois State softball team (11-10) ran its winning streak to four games with a pair of one-run victories over Georgetown and Penn State on the final day of the Citrus Classic at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla. The Redbirds defeated the Hoyas, 6-5, in a nine-inning thriller, before besting the Nittany Lions, 1-0.
Senior Liz Andrews led ISU offensively, going 5-for-8 with two doubles, a home run and three RBI. Andrews provided the game-tying home run and game-winning RBI in a 4-for-5 performance against Georgetown and finished with a hit in three at bats against Penn State.
In the circle, the Redbirds got a pair of stellar performances from freshman Sophia Perez and senior Jordan Birch. Perez earned her first-career win against the Hoyas, allowing just two hits and a run, while striking out 11 in 6.1 innings of relief. Birch tossed a complete-game shutout against Penn State, scattering five hits and recording five strikeouts to improve her record to 6-6 on the year. Birch has allowed just seven hits and one run in her last 14 innings.
In the opener, Georgetown struck first by scoring four runs on six hits in the top of the third to take an early 4-0. After a groundout to start the inning, the Hoyas plated a pair of runs on five-straight singles, before Cara Savarese drove in the third run with an RBI groundout. Perez came out of the bullpen in relief of starter Megan Warner, after Hannah Slovacek's double to left center that capped the scoring in the frame.
ISU got a run back in the bottom of the inning, after a two-out double by junior Lauren Kellar and an RBI single by Andrews that made the score 4-1 in favor of the Hoyas.
Georgetown quickly got back in the scoring column on a solo home run by Alexandria Antilla to lead off the top of the fourth. After Antilla's solo shot, the Hoyas would record just one more hit the rest of the ballgame, as Perez stifled their offense.
Illinois State pushed across three runs in its half of the fourth to cut the Georgetown lead to 5-4. Junior Caiti Kopp and freshman Lindsey Greene delivered back-to-back one-out singles to set the tone and junior Jhavon Hamilton reached on an error that allowed Kopp to score from second. Kellar drove in Greene with an infield single and Hamilton scampered home on the throw to first that Kellar was able to beat out. Megan Hyson came out of the bullpen in relief of starter Mackensey Carter and recorded the final out of the inning.
Andrews tied the game in the fifth with a solo blast to dead center for her third homer of the year. The Redbirds had an opportunity to take their first lead of the game when freshman Stephanie Gallant was hit by a pitch and sophomore Laura Canopy followed with a single to right to put runners on second and third with no outs. However, Hoya reliever Lauren O'Leary replaced Hyson and proceeded to strike out the side to end the threat and keep the game knotted at 5-5.
O'Leary came up big for Georgetown once again in the bottom of the seventh. Andrews doubled to start the inning, before Kopp coaxed a two-out walk and Greene was hit by a pitch to load the bases. O'Leary stranded all three with a strikeout to end the frame and send the game to extra innings.
With the international tiebreak rule in effect, Perez and O'Leary traded strikeouts and kept the game tied after eight complete. In the ninth, Perez once again came up with a pair of strikeouts to keep the potential go-ahead run at second base after a leadoff sacrifice bunt.
With junior Elizabeth Kay starting the inning on second base in the bottom of the ninth, Andrews once again came through for ISU, sending a 1-1 pitch deep to left to score Kay, complete the comeback and give Illinois State the walk-off win.
In game two, neither the Redbirds nor Nittany Lions were able to produce offensively, as the teams combined for just nine hits. Penn State opened its half of the first with runners on first and second, after a leadoff single by Alyssa Sovereign and a walk by Alyssa Renwick. Birch stranded both runners and ended the threat with a pair of pop outs and a strikeout.
Illinois State stranded runners on third in both the first and fourth innings, but its best chance came in the top of the sixth. Kay reached on an infield single to the shortstop and stole second to advance into scoring position. Andrews followed by lining a single into left, but Kay was tagged out at the plate on a strong throw by Shannon Hutchinson.
Birch pitched around a one-out double in the sixth and ISU finally broke the scoreless tie in the top of the seventh. Redshirt sophomore Nichelle Harrison drew a pinch-hit walk to start the inning, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Canopy and then over to third on a Kopp groundout. Freshman Kelsey Turczyn followed the groundout with her second pinch-hit, RBI single in as many days to drive in Harrison for the game-winning run.
The Redbirds finished the weekend 4-2 at the Citrus Classic and will have a final non-conference tune-up next weekend at the Red and Black Tournament in Louisville, Ky. ISU will open the tournament Saturday, March 11 with a 10 a.m. contest against nationally-ranked Michigan.
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