NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois (17-13) scored the first five runs of the game, including two in the first inning, to build a lead that was too much for the Illinois State softball team (12-20) to overcome in Tuesday evening's 7-4 loss at Marian Kneer Stadium. The defeat at the hands of the Fighting Illini was the first for the Redbirds in the last four meetings between the two squads, and first since 2010.
Sara Bradley did most of ISU's damage offensively by a hitting a three-run homer, her career-best sixth long ball of the season and fourth in the Redbirds' last seven games. Laura Canopy tallied two hits and drove in a run, giving her five hits and five RBI over ISU's last three contests. Kara Repp added a single to extend her season-best on-base streak to 17 and hitting streak to eight games.
Regan Romshek got the start in the circle and was relieved by Taylor Baxter, before coming back in to throw the seventh inning. Romshek (LP, 8-10) suffered the loss after allowing four runs in 4.0-plus innings, while Baxter (ND) surrendered two earned tallies in 3.0-plus frames.
The Fighting Illini jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the top of the first. Allie Bauch hit the game's second pitch over the fence in left center to give U of I a 1-0 advantage, before Jenna Mychko added another run with a two-out single later in the frame to make it 2-0.
Romshek settled down after that, as her and Illinois starter Brandi Needham (WP, 12-6) combined to retire 14-straight batters from the first through third innings. Illinois got its offense going again in the fourth, however, when Mychko led off the inning with a solo home run. Baxter came on in relief two batters later, and retired the first two Fighting Illini she faced before surrendering a two-run homer to Bauch that made it a 5-0 game.
ISU battled back with its first three runs of the game in the bottom of the fourth. Nichelle Harrison reached on an error and Romshek doubled to put runners on second and third. Two batters later, Bradley worked a 3-2 count before crushing a home run over the fence in left center to bring the Redbirds back within two, at 5-3.
Illinois built its lead back up to four with lone tallies against Baxter in the fifth and sixth. Mychko plated another run with a groundout in the fifth, before Brittany Sanchez came through with a two-out RBI single in the sixth that made it a 7-3 game.
ISU showed a glimpse at a potential rally in the seventh. Canopy drove in Annie Heineman with a two-out single in the seventh, making Romshek the tying run on-deck. Harrison flew out to end the game, however, before Romshek could get a chance.
The Redbirds return to Missouri Valley Conference action this weekend with a three-game series at Southern Illinois.
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