NORMAL, Ill. – After falling 9-4 in the first game of a twin bill on Sunday, the Illinois State softball team bounced back for an 11-5 victory in game two against Loyola Chicago.
BIRD BITS VS. LOYOLA CHICAGO (L, 9-4) – GAME 1
Top Performers:
BY THE NUMBERS / KEY INNINGS VS. LOYOLA CHICAGO (L, 9-4) – GAME 1
- A pair of two-out hits by the Ramblers in the top of the third pushed Loyola Chicago out to a 2-0 lead.
- Illinois State used six hits to score four unanswered runs in the bottom of the fifth, as Emme Olson's single up the middle sent the go-ahead run across home plate.
- Loyola capitalized on a pair of ISU errors by tacking on seven runs in the final two frames to hand the Redbirds a 9-4 loss.
- ISU starting pitcher Morgan Day tossed six strikeouts in 5.0 innings of work in the second-straight outing by the sophomore.
BIRD BITS VS. LOYOLA CHICAGO (W, 11-5) – GAME 2
Top Performers:
Pitching Breakdown:
BY THE NUMBERS / KEY INNINGS VS. LOYOLA CHICAGO (W, 11-5) – GAME 2
- Loyola scratched a pair of runs across in the opening frame, before the Redbirds responded in the home half of the inning with three runs on three-straight hits delivered the heart of ISU's lineup.
- A two-out single to left field by Allison Spence in the second inning sent two more Redbirds charging across home plate for a 5-2 lead. After a pitching change by Loyola, Brittni LaFountaine knocked ISU's fourth hit of the inning to left center field to extend the Redbirds' lead by five runs.
- The Ramblers scratched a pair of unearned runs across in the top of the third to sit at a 7-4 deficit.
- ISU jumped back out to a four-run advantage, as a single up the middle by Emme Olson brought Shannon Felde across home plate.
- Junior Anni Borries launched her first career home run – a three-run shot – over the right field wall to surge ISU ahead, 11-4.
- Loyola added an unearned run on the board, before a line out to Olson at shortstop sealed the victory for the Redbirds.
ON DECK
Illinois State will conclude the regular season at Valparaiso next weekend, before traveling to Peoria, Illinois, for the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Championship, May 8-11.
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.
