DES MOINES, Iowa – For the second year in row, Illinois State and Southern Illinois faced off in the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, and unfortunately for the Redbirds (24-30), the result was the same both years as the top-seeded Salukis (33-19) picked up an 8-3 win on Friday at Ron Buel Field to advance to the championship game on Saturday.
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BIRDS BITS (vs. Southern Illinois)
Offensive Highlights:Â
Bella Atkinson: 3-for-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Addison Masching: 2-for-4, 1 2B
Julia Larson: 1-for-3, 1 R
Pitching Breakdown:
Hannah Meshnick (L, 13-11): 4.1 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Paige McLeod: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game got off to an auspicious start, as an issue inside the pitching circle near the pitching rubber caused a 45-minute delay in the top half of the inning as the Redbirds had two hits to start the game. Once the game was resumed, the Salukis got out of the early jam and then scored a run in the bottom of the frame to take a 1-0 lead. SIU would tack on three more runs in the bottom of the second inning to increase their lead to 4-0 and it would stay that way until the top of the fourth inning, when Bella Atkinson launched a three-run home run over the fence in left center field to put the Redbirds back within one run at 4-3. However, those would be the final runs of the game for the Redbirds, as the Salukis scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to widen the advantage to 8-3 which is where the game would end.
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