LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Illinois State softball team split a pair of games against Louisville Monday afternoon in Louisville, Kentucky. The Redbirds dropped the first game 10-2 in five innings and then defeated the Cardinals 4-3 in eight innings in the nightcap.
Louisville's offense was dominant in game one and the Cardinals made quick work of ISU, winning 10-2 in five innings. The Redbirds jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first after Annie Heineman scored on a wild pitch, but the Cardinals answered with two in the bottom of the frame.
In the top of the second, ISU came right back with the tying run on a pair of doubles. Abby Turczyn laced the first extra-base hit of her career down the right field line and Lindsey Greene brought her home with a double to the left field fence.
With the game tied at two, Louisville's Kayla Soles broke it open with a grand slam in the third. The Cardinals then added two more in both the third and fourth innings to win by run rule. Louisville had at least two runs and three hits in all four innings they came to the plate.
Regan Romshek took the loss and fell to 7-7 on the season.
In game two the Redbirds sent Sarah Finck into the circle and the freshman delivered in a big way. Her offense gave her an early lead in the second inning after a pair of illegal pitches allowed Riley Strandgard to cross the plate. Louisville tied it up in the bottom of the second.
Strandgard then drove in ISU's second run in the fourth with a sacrifice fly that plated Jordan de los Reyes. The Redbirds held a 2-1 lead until the bottom of the seventh when Louisville used a pair of singles to tie the game and force extra innings.
Using the international tiebreaker rules, ISU began the eighth with Kara Repp on second base. De los Reyes laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Repp to third and then Stephanie Gallant scored Repp with an RBI double. One batter later, Strandgard was at it again, this time hitting an RBI single that scored Gallant.
In the bottom of the frame Louisville scored one run, but Finck induced a ground ball right back to her with the tying run at third to end the game.
Finck picked up her first collegiate win, going eight innings and giving up seven hits, no earned runs and striking out eight. On offense, ISU had nine hits with four players tallying two or more.
ISU is now 9-13 on the season and will play two games against No. 11 Tennessee Tuesday night. The games will begin at 5 and 7:15 p.m. and a live audio broadcast will be available on GoRedbirds.com.
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