NORMAL, Ill. – For the first time since 2015, the Illinois State softball team (23-5, 9-1 MVC) took the series over Southern Illinois (28-9, 10-6 MVC) with a pair of wins against the Salukis on Saturday.
BIRD BITS – Game 1 (W, 6-1)
Top Offensive Players:
Pitching Breakdown:
BY THE NUMBERS / KEY INNINGS – Game 1 (W, 6-1)
- SIU jumped on the board in the opening frame with an RBI double to center field, but Illinois State's defense went to work and recorded the next two outs to leave two Salukis in scoring position.
- For the second-straight game, Spenser Strandgard hit a lead-off long ball to equalize the score in the bottom of the second. Back-to-back singles by Kaili Chval and Emme Olson pushed ISU out in front, 3-1, in the same frame.
- A bases-clearing double delivered by Andrea Coursey in the fourth extended the Redbirds' lead, before Strandgard's third hit of the afternoon pushed ISU out to a five-run cushion.
- Southern Illinois wouldn't go down without a fight in the seventh, registering a pair of hits, before a ground out to Morgan Day in the circle sealed the 6-1 victory.
BIRD BITS – Game 2 (W, 4-3)
Top Offensive Players:
Pitching Breakdown:
BY THE NUMBERS / KEY INNINGS – Game 2 (W, 4-3)
- Dayna Kennedy led off the second inning with a single before scratching ISU's first run on the board for an early lead.
- The Salukis' lead-off batter put the equalizer on the board with a homer down the left field line in the fifth inning, before taking a 2-1 lead. Morgan Day stepped into the circle in relief, as she was able to escape the inning with a strikeout to leave a pair of Saluki runners in scoring position.
- Illinois State responded in the home half of the fifth, knotting the score at two-all with Emme Olson's first run of the series.
- SIU regained its lead in the sixth, but the Salukis left the bases loaded with back-to-back strikeouts delivered by Day.
- Mack Leonard lifted a lead-off bomb over the left field wall in the sixth, before Olson lifted one over the right field wall to put ISU ahead, 4-3.
- Two more strikeouts for Day in the seventh helped the senior secure her fourth-straight win, as the Redbirds took the series from SIU for the first time since 2015.
ON DECK
Illinois State will wrap up the series with Southern Illinois tomorrow at 11 a.m., before hosting I-74 rival Bradley for a doubleheader on Wednesday beginning at 3 p.m. Attendance is currently limited to player pass list only and tickets are not available to the general public.
To view ISU's full schedule and find ways to follow the Redbirds, visit GoRedbirds.com. Game times, dates, opponents and locations are subject to change.
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.
