NORMAL, Ill. – Led by the senior pair of Annie Heineman and Jordan de los Reyes at the plate and the Sarah Finck - Ali Domkuski pitching combination, Illinois State earned the doubleheader sweep over Loyola on Saturday afternoon at Marian Kneer Stadium.
Thanks to the bats of Heineman and de los Reyes, the Redbirds took the lead early in the series opener and never looked back to earn the 3-1 win with Finck in the circle.
Domkuski had a no-hitter going through 6.1 innings of work before a pair of hits knotted up the game. After Allison Spence gave the Redbirds the early lead, Heineman drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh for the 2-1 walk-off win.
De los Reyes went 3-for-4 in the nightcap with a pair of doubles to lead the Redbirds in the box. Shannon Felde extended her hitting streak to 21 games, the second longest known streak in program history behind Kara Nelson's 25-game haul.
The Redbirds and Ramblers hold 18-16 overall records while the Redbirds sit at 8-3 in Missouri Valley play while the Ramblers slide to 1-10 in conference. Illinois State will play for the series sweep on Sunday at 11 a.m.
Game One: W, 3-1
Off the bats of seniors Heineman and de los Reyes, the Redbirds posted three runs in the first inning, enough for the 3-1 win in game one. Five Redbirds recorded a hit in game one while Heineman drove in two runners.
Illinois State jumped on the board early to take a 3-0 lead after one inning. De los Reyes plated Illinois State's first run on a standup double through the right side. With the bases loaded, Heineman drove in the final two runs of the frame with a single to left.
The Ramblers answered back with a lone run in the third on a Redbird miscue before a single plated the run.
Illinois State's infield ended Loyola's threat in the fifth on a double play via the Alex Caliva - Riley Strandgard - Spence combination.
Riley Hale and Alyssa Wiebel singled in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively, but the pair were stranded in each inning.
Both the Redbirds and Ramblers were held scoreless for the final four innings of play. Finck tossed her 14th complete game of the season for a win while the Ramblers' Keenan Dolezal took the loss.
Game Two: W, 2-1
Led by Domkuski's two-hitter in the circle and de los Reyes' 3-for-4 day, the Redbirds topped the Ramblers with a walk-off single via Heineman for the 2-1 win.
The Redbirds logged 10 hits off eight bats, outhitting the Ramblers, 10-2 in the nightcap.
Despite a leadoff error, Caliva recovered the inning with a double play by tagging the base runner before flipping the ball to Spence for the pair of outs.
Felde and de los Reyes each singled in the first but the pair of Redbirds were left on base. Strandgard singled in the second but Illinois State could not convert.
Illinois State's outfielders kept Loyola off the bases with two solid plays by Kori Mesecher and Hale in the third inning.
Leading off the third, Hale rocketed a double to left before a walk and a Wiebel single loaded the bases. However, the Ramblers escaped the jam with a groundout to second.
With five hits on the board, the Redbirds were able to capitalize in the fifth inning. De los Reyes doubled to left-center. Runner Taylor Vanderpool crossed the plate via Spence's double to left field, breaking up the scoreless contest.
After 6.1 innings, the Ramblers broke up the Domkuski's no-hitter with a double down the left line. The runner came around to score on an RBI-single, knotting up the game at one run apiece.
De los Reyes doubled for the second time in game two. A pair of walks loaded the bases before Heineman lined the ball through the 4-6 gap for the walk-win.
Starting pitcher Domkuski tossed her 11th complete game of the season for the win while the Ramblers' Kiley Jones took the loss.
The Redbirds and Ramblers will conclude the series on Sunday at 11 a.m. Illinois State continues its home stand with Strikeout Cancer Day on Wednesday at 4 p.m. versus DePaul.
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