NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State and Bradley battled through unfavorable conditions Wednesday night, as the Braves came away on top, 8-4, in the Redbirds' annual Pack the Park event.
Due to strong winds and chilly temperatures, the pre-scheduled single game at Bradley on April 23 will now be a doubleheader. An official start time will be determined later.
BIRD BITS VS. BRADLEY (L, 8-4)
Top Performers:
BY THE NUMBERS / KEY INNINGS VS. BRADLEY (L, 8-4)
- Alyssa Wiebel launched her sixth home run of the season down the right field line in the bottom of the second inning to push ISU to an early 1-0 lead.
- A ground out to Andrea Coursey closed the door on the top of the third, giving first baseman Allison Spence her 1,292th career putout to become the Redbirds' all-time leader in the category.
- A single up the middle by Shannon Felde in the bottom of the third pushed Taylor Vanderpool across home plate for a 2-0 advantage.
- A solo shot over the left field wall helped Bradley cut into the Redbirds' lead in the top of the fourth.
- Bradley scratched a trio of runs across in the top of the fifth to jump out to a 4-2 lead, before a fly out to Wiebel in center field helped the Redbirds escape the bases loaded jam without any more damage.
- The Braves extended their lead in sixth, scoring a pair of runs on a pair of ISU errors, to hold a 6-2 advantage after 5.5 innings.
- A two-RBI double by Felde in the bottom of the sixth helped the Redbirds trim the Braves' lead in half, but Bradley scored twice more in the top of the seventh to take the game, 8-4.
ON DECK
Illinois State will wrap up its eight-game home stand this weekend when Missouri State visits Marian Kneer Stadium. The Redbird softball program is bringing back the national runner-up squad from Illinois State for the 50-year reunion of the team's performance at the first-ever Women's College World Series (WCWS) in 1969. More information on the team and reunion can be found at GoRedbirds.com.
For updates on Illinois State Softball, follow the Redbirds on Twitter (@RedbirdsSB) and Instagram (@redbirdsoftball).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
