WICHITA, Kan. – For the first time this season the Illinois State softball team will not win a Missouri Valley Conference series. The Redbirds lost a pair of games to Wichita State, 12-4 in six innings and 7-5, Saturday at Wilkins Stadium in Wichita, Kansas.
The Shockers have now defeated ISU in the last five meetings dating back to last season. With the wind blowing out all day, Wichita set the tone early in game one. Katie Malone retired the Redbirds in order in the top of the first. In the bottom of the frame, leadoff hitter Cacy Williams sent the first pitch she saw out of the park and two batters later, Brittany Fortner did the same to give WSU a 2-0 lead on Regan Romshek and ISU.
ISU struggled to get their offense going, managing just one hit through the first three innings. In the bottom of the third, Wichita blew the game open. The Shockers sent 11 batters to the plate and all but one reached base. Wichita pounded out six hits and scored seven runs in the inning. Seven different players crossed the plate.
Wichita chased Romshek after just 2 1/3 innings. The Redbird starter allowed seven hits, eight earned runs and walked four.
ISU's offense responded to the big inning with a little rally in the top of the fourth. Jordan de los Reyes, Stephanie Gallant and Riley Strandgard all reached base to start the frame, loading up the bases. Kaitlyn Knary then lifted a fly ball to right that was deep enough for De los Reyes to tag and score. Later in the inning, Kara Repp hit a two-RBI single to cut the deficit to six.
ISU relief pitcher McKensie Vissering kept momentum on the Redbirds' side, working a perfect bottom of the fourth. In the top of the fifth, ISU added one more run on an Annie Heineman solo blast to center that cut the lead to 9-4.
However, Wichita put any comeback hopes to rest with two runs of its own in the bottom of the inning. The Shockers then scored one more in the sixth to earn a 12-4 run-rule victory. It's the first time this season ISU has been run-ruled in conference play and it was the first time in over a month the Redbirds had allowed double-digit runs.
Romshek took the loss for ISU, falling to 10-13 on the season. Gallant led the offense with a 2-2 effort at the plate and she also scored a run.
ISU came out with a bit more fire in game two, jumping on Wichita early. De los Reyes hit a double off of the left field fence in the top of the first and later in the inning, Strandgard singled her in to make it 1-0 ISU.
In the second, Lindsey Greene and Heineman both reached base and De los Reyes sent a no-doubter out to left-centerfield to make it 4-0 ISU. It was De los Reyes' 13th home run of the season.
ISU starter Sarah Finck worked a scoreless first and second inning, but ran into a bit of trouble in the third. The Shockers used five-straight hits from their 2-6 hitters to score two runs, cutting the Redbird lead in half.
The next inning, Wichita was at it again. This time, Kelli Spring hit an RBI single to make it 4-3 and Fortner followed with a two-RBI single that gave Wichita the lead.
Wichita held the lead until the sixth when Romshek came to bat as a pinch hitter. With the bases empty, she hit a solo home run to left field to tie the game at five. It was her 12th home run of the season.
The Shockers used the long ball to their advantage in the bottom of the sixth as Macklin Hitz launched a deep two-run homer to give WSU a 7-5 lead. The Redbirds could not come up with a rally in the seventh and Wichita took both games of the doubleheader.
The Redbirds are now 18-23 overall and 9-5 in the MVC. ISU has lost four-straight games. The two teams will wrap up their series Sunday with a single game beginning at noon. A live audio broadcast will be available on GoRedbirds.com.
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