LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS
NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State softball team will look to bounce back in Missouri Valley Conference play Wednesday at Bradley. The two teams will play a doubleheader in Peoria, Illinois.
ISU is coming off a 1-2 weekend against Evansville. The Redbirds opened and closed the weekend with losses, but won the middle game in extra innings. ISU (13-26, 5-8 MVC) sits in eighth place in the MVC standings, while Bradley (13-22, 7-7 MVC) is currently in fifth.
Illinois State hit .229 as a team last weekend, and the middle of the order went a combined 5-for-29. Shannon Felde (4-for-8) and Annie Heineman (5-for-11) turned in quality weekends at the plate, but the Redbirds were unable to overcome the lack of offensive production from top to bottom, falling short in two comeback attempts.
Heineman swung that bat well all weekend, leading the Redbirds with five hits. She hit .455 (5-for-11) and doubled twice in Sunday's finale. Heineman, ISU's leadoff hitter, scored two runs and drove in another. She walked once and had an on-base percentage of .500. On the bases, she swiped two bags and was 2-for-2 on the weekend.
Felde has been given limited opportunities at the plate this season, but in an expanded role this weekend she thrived. The freshman went 4-for-8 at the plate with four singles and two RBIs. She delivered the walk off single in the bottom of the eighth inning in the Redbirds' win Saturday. The RBI was the first of her career.
While Jordan de los Reyes struggled at the plate this weekend, she was her usual self behind the dish at the catching position. Evansville attempted to steal four times over the weekend, and three times, de los Reyes threw the runner out. De los Reyes has thrown out 15 of 20 runners stealing this season.
First pitch Wednesday is scheduled for 2 p.m., with game two scheduled to begin at approximately 4 p.m.
Series History
Illinois State owns a 62-17 record all-time against the Bradley Braves. The series began in 1983 and Bradley won four of the first six games. Most recently, Illinois State has gone 35-5 since the new millennium, including a 3-1 mark last season. ISU knocked Bradley out of the MVC Tournament with an 11-7 victory in the opening round. Bradley won the lone game in Peoria last season, 8-7.
How to Follow Along
A live audio broadcast will be available for both games Wednesday. In addition, live stats will be available, and all links can be found on GoRedbirds.com. For in-game updates, follow the team on Twitter @RedbirdsSB.
GoRedbirds.com:Â Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
