EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Illinois State softball team opened Missouri Valley Conference play on Saturday with a pair of victories over Evansville, as the Redbirds combined to outscore the Purple Aces, 19-1.
Morgan Day earned the starting call in the Valley opener, registering her second career one-hit shutout, while ISU's offense saw eight out of nine batters tally at least one hit. In the second game, Ali Domkuski set a season-high in strikeouts, fanning seven Purple Aces for her third win of the season.
BIRD BITS AT EVANSVILLE (W, 11-0) – GAME 1
Top Performers:
- Emme Olson: 2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, 1 BB, HR
- Alyssa Wiebel: 3-for-4, 3 R, 1 RBI, HR
- Ellie Weltha: 1-for-1, R, 2 RBI, HR
Pitching Breakdown:
BY THE NUMBERS / KEY INNINGS AT EVANSVILLE (W, 11-0) – GAME 1
- A sacrifice fly to right field by Andrea Coursey in the opening frame drove Shannon Felde across home plate to help ISU to an early lead.
- ISU plated two more in the top of the second to take a 3-0 lead on a single to left field by Allison Spence.
- Emme Olson and Alyssa Wiebel each went yard in back-to-back at-bats to push ISU ahead 5-0 to lead off the third inning. The Redbirds' back-to-back homers marks the first time since 2017 that ISU has launched two-straight home runs.
- The Redbirds extended their lead in the top of the third, as Mack Leonard dropped a two-out single into left field for a 6-0 ISU advantage.
- A throwing error by Evansville's pitcher brought ISU's seventh run across home plate with one out in the top of the fourth, before a sac fly to left field by Felde drove Wiebel home for an eight-run advantage. A walk issued to Leonard pushed ISU out to a 9-0 lead going into the bottom of the frame.
- Morgan Day tossed a first-pitch strike to nine-consecutive batters, spanning from the second to fourth innings.
- Freshman Ellie Weltha stepped up to the dish to pinch hit in the top of the fifth, lifting ISU's third home run of the game over the left field wall to give the Redbirds an 11-0 lead.
- In the final inning, Day matched a season-high seven strikeouts with a pair to sit the Purple Aces down in order as the sophomore notched her second career one-hit shutout.
BIRD BITS AT EVANSVILLE (W, 8-1) – GAME 2
Top Performers:
Pitching Breakdown:
BY THE NUMBERS / KEY INNINGS AT EVANSVILLE (W, 8-1) – GAME 2
- The Purple Aces jumped on the board first, dropping a double in the right center field gap in the bottom of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead.
- ISU scratched four runs across in the top of the second on a pair of Evansville errors, a wild pitch and a double by Allison Spence.
- Ali Domkuski fanned back-to-back batters for a season-high six strikeouts through the first four innings.
- A bases-clearing triple by Emme Olson helped the Redbirds jump out to a 7-1 advantage in the top of the sixth.
- Alyssa Wiebel's bat stayed hot, as the junior lifted her second home run of the day over the right center field wall to push ISU out to an 8-1 lead in the seventh.
- Evansville drew back-to-back one-out walks in the final frame bringing Mack Leonard to the circle in relief, who was able to get out of the inning with a pair of strikeouts to help ISU secure the 8-1 win.
ON DECK
Illinois State will go for the series sweep of Evansville when it wraps up the three-game set at 11 a.m. tomorrow.
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