By ISU Sports Information
TAMPA, Fla. – The Illinois State softball team began the 2016 season with the most difficult schedule possible and fell to No. 2 Michigan, 12-0, and No. 1 Florida, 11-0, Friday at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida.
Florida and Michigan finished first and second in the nation, respectively, last season and entered 2016 as the top two ranked teams.
The Redbirds opened the season against Michigan and threatened the Wolverines in the first inning. Between a pair of walks and a fielder’s choice, ISU loaded the bases. However, Michigan’s Sarah Driesenga worked her way out of the jam and ISU left the bases loaded.
Michigan, winners of 60 games and the national runner-up in 2015, set the tone early with its offense. The Wolverines scored four runs in the first inning and sent 11 batters to the plate off of Redbird starter Regan Romshek.
Kaitlyn Knary recorded ISU’s only hit of the game in the second inning, but was left at first and in the bottom of the frame Michigan scored two runs on two Redbird errors. Ali Domkuski made her collegiate debut in relief of Romshek and gave up two hits in two-thirds of an inning. While four runs crossed the plate during Domkuski’s stint, none of them were earned.
Shannon Felde also made her ISU debut, coming in for Domkuski in the fourth inning. Felde recorded outs on the first three batters she faced. In the fourth, she surrendered two runs on three hits, which brought Michigan’s total to 12.
The Redbirds were unable to score in the top of the fifth, and fell 12-0 in five innings to open the season. Romshek took the loss to fall to 0-1 on the season.
In the nightcap, Florida scored two runs in the first inning despite not recording a hit. The Gators sent eight batters to the plate with four reaching on walks and one on a hit by pitch. Down by two in the bottom of the second, the Redbirds tried to put together a rally by loading the bases after a pair of walks and a Payton Billups single. However, Florida’s Delanie Gourley was able to work out of the jam and keep the Redbirds off the scoreboard.
Billups’ hit would be the only one for ISU, while Florida pulled away in the third inning with seven runs. The Gators recorded three-straight RBI singles off of ISU starter Sarah Finck. Gourley coasted the rest of the game, never allowing more than one runner on base in an inning after the bottom of the second. In the top of the fifth, Florida tacked on two more runs.
Needing a rally to extend the game, ISU came up empty in the bottom of the fifth and fell, 11-0, to the defending national champions. The loss dropped the Redbirds to 0-2 on the season and Finck fell to 0-1 in the circle with the loss.
ISU is back in action Saturday against Virginia Tech and South Florida. First pitch against Virginia Tech is scheduled for 1:15 CT and a live audio broadcast will be available on GoRedbirds.com.
