DES MOINES, Iowa – The Illinois State softball team (19-5, 6-1 MVC) saw its 10-game win streak come to an end in the series opener at Drake (6-20, 2-6 MVC) on Friday afternoon, before rebounding for a shutout win of the Bulldogs in game two of the doubleheader.
BIRD BITS – Game 1 (L, 4-1)
Top Offensive Players:
Pitching Breakdown:
BY THE NUMBERS / KEY INNINGS – Game 1 (L, 4-1)
- Drake jumped on the board in the opening frame, launching a two-run homer to left field, despite a pair of strikeouts from Morgan Day.
- Brittni LaFountaine drew a bases-loaded walk to send Mack Leonard home to help the Redbirds scratch a run across in the top of the third.
- Another home run by the Bulldogs in the home half of the third pushed Drake back out to a two-run advantage.
- A pair of stolen bases by preseason pick Macy Johnson moved the Bulldog runner into scoring position before an RBI single brought her home for a 4-1 advantage by Drake in the fifth.
- Illinois State rallied in the seventh, as a lead-off single by Kaili Chval and a walk drawn by Emme Olson put a pair of Redbird runners on, but Drake used three-straight strikeouts to seal the series-opening win.
BIRD BITS – Game 2 (W, 5-0)
Top Offensive Players:
Pitching Breakdown:
BY THE NUMBERS / KEY INNINGS – Game 2 (W, 5-0)
- It was a pitcher's duel to start the second game of the doubleheader before an RBI double by Emme Olson broke open scoring and sent Kaili Chval home for a 1-0 lead in the third.
- A lead-off single dropped in left center field by Reili Gardner, followed with a walk drawn by Mack Leonard put two on for ISU with no outs in the fifth. A sac bunt by Chval moved the runners into scoring position, before an error by Drake's catcher sent Gardner home and a sac fly to center field by Olson brough Leonard across the dish for a three-run advantage.
- In the top of the sixth, the Redbirds scratched two more runs across on a double by Leonard to help Illinois State charge ahead, 5-0.
- Drake tallied a pair of hits in the bottom of the seventh, but back-to-back groundouts to the Redbird infielders sealed the shutout win.
ON DECK
The Redbirds will wrap up their three-game series with Drake tomorrow at 12 p.m., before returning home to host Missouri State next weekend.
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.
