ON DECK
The Illinois State softball team will face No. 2 seed and tournament host Southern Illinois today at 3 p.m. CT in a win-or-go-home contest at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships at Charlotte West Stadium.
If the Redbirds advance, they will play again at 6 p.m. against the loser of No. 1 Belmont vs. No. 3 Murray State.
LAST TIME OUT
The Redbirds went 1-1 on Thursday at the tournament, falling to No. 1 seed Belmont, 4-0, in the quarterfinals before surviving against No. 4 seed Northern Iowa, 7-6, in the loser's bracket to stay alive for a shot at the conference title.
REGULAR SEASON VS. SIU
Illinois State won the regular season series over Southern Illinois, 2-1. The Redbirds shut out the Salukis, 4-0, in game one before falling, 9-0, in five innings in game two. The rubber match came down to final at-bat, as a walk-off RBI single from Lauren Flowers sealed a dramatic 5–4 victory and the series win over the Salukis.
QUICK NOTES
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With senior Hannah Meshnick's save last night against Northern Iowa, she now has seven on the season, tying the single-season program record.
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Paige McLeod earned her 20th win in the circle this season, becoming the first Redbird pitcher to total 20 wins in a season since Sarah Finck had 23 in 2017.
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The Redbirds have now scored 275 runs this season, tied for fifth-most in a single season in program history.
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With Bella Atkinson's two doubles against UNI, she now has 17 this season, tied for fourth-most in a single season in program history.
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Morgan Calhoun is one RBI away, and Julia Larson is one run scored away from joining the program's 40-40 club, amassing at least two of the three in a single season: 40 hits, 40 RBIs and 40 runs scored. Atkinson and Tatum Wolford have already joined the club this season.
For updates on Illinois State Softball, follow the Redbirds on Twitter (@RedbirdsSB), Instagram (@redbirdsoftball), and Facebook (Illinois State Redbird Softball).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
