NORMAL, Ill. – The Redbirds ended their nine-game home stretch the same way it started – on a walk off. Abby Knight singled to center field to score Kaili Chval with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to give Illinois State (16-18, 7-4 MVC) a 3-2 victory over the Evansville Purple Aces (20-15, 5-7 MVC) and earned the series sweep.
BIRD BITS
Offensive Highlights:
Pitching Breakdown:
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Emme Olson was the first to reach for the Redbirds as she doubled to left center in her first at-bat of the day, extending her reached base safely streak to 26 consecutive games.
- A quiet second inning was followed by a blast in the bottom of the third from freshman Delainey Bryant. Bryant put the Redbirds up 1-0 on a home run crushed over the left field wall. Her at-bat was followed by three consecutive walks to Kaili Chval, Olson, and Jayden Standish. Abby Knight hit a sac fly to center field that scored Chval, putting the 'Birds up 2-0 over the Aces.
- Amanda Fox entered to pitch for Illinois State in the top of the fourth in relief of Hannah Ross. All three Aces' outs in the fourth came via the strikeout from Fox.
- Evansville tied it up at 2-2 in the top of the fifth. A sac fly to center and a single to right field allowed two runs to cross before the inning was over.
- Illinois State put a runner on in the bottom of the fifth and the sixth as Addison Masching singled in the fifth and Dayna Kennedy doubled in the sixth, but both were left stranded.
- After surrendering a single in the top of the seventh, Fox pitched her way out and the Redbirds headed into the bottom half of the inning tied.
- Chval and Olson drew back-to-back one-out walks, and Madi Bylak entered to pinch run for Olson. Standish flew out to right field and the runners advanced with two outs in the inning. With the winning run on third, Knight collected her second RBI of the day with a walk off single to center field! Chval scored and Illinois State completed the series sweep of Evansville, beating the Aces 3-2 in the series finale.
ON DECK
The Redbirds are set to travel to DePaul for a midweek, nonconference contest with the Blue Demons on Tuesday, April 12, and first pitch is slated for 4 p.m. CT.
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