By Illinois State Athletics
NORMAL – With wind gusts blowing out over 30 miles per hour throughout the day, the Illinois State and Wichita State softball teams combined to score 34 runs in two games as the Shockers earned a pair of Missouri Valley Conference victories. The Shockers won game one, 8-6, and game two, 14-6, in five innings.
Illinois State (9-23, 1-6 MVC) is now on a five-game losing streak in Valley play after winning its opener two weekends ago. ISU and Wichita State will finish the series Sunday at noon at Marian Kneer Stadium.
Game 1: Wichita State 8 – Illinois State 6
Wichita State wasted no time in game one, scoring all eight runs in the top of the first inning. The Shockers chased ISU starter Regan Romshek after eight batters. Wichita State racked up four hits, a hit by pitch and three walks in the inning, while the ISU defense also committed an error in the frame. Romshek allowed seven runs and Sarah Finck surrendered one after inheriting a bases loaded, one out situation.
Trailing by eight, Illinois State’s offense turned in two scoreless innings to start the game before breaking through in the third. Romshek led off with a single and Jordan de los Reyes drove her in with a double. Riley Strandgard then tripled into the right-center gap, which plated de los Reyes.
Finck settled in after the rough first inning and mowed down Wichita State from the second inning on. She allowed a single to lead off the second, but that was the only blemish. Finck retired the next 18 batters, recording 11 of them on ground ball outs.
The offense continued to chip away at the deficit, scoring two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Finck led off the frame with a double, and Annie Heineman hit a two-run home run to make it 8-4. The home run was Heineman’s first of the season.
De los Reyes doubled again to lead off the fifth inning and scored on an error to make it 8-5. The Redbirds were unable to score in the sixth, but Lauren Prader brought ISU within two in the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run, the first of her collegiate career. The Redbirds later brought the tying run to the plate, but the rally fell short.
De los Reyes led the way for the offense, finishing 3-for-4 with three doubles, two runs and an RBI. Riley Hale added a 2-for-3 effort and six other Redbirds recorded a hit. In the circle, Finck worked 6.2 innings and allowed only one hit and an unearned run. She struck out five and walked one.
Game 2: Wichita State 14 – Illinois State 6 (5 innings)
Game two began with a bit of déjà vu as Wichita State opened the game with a bang. The Shockers scored five runs in the top of the first inning off of Finck. Finck allowed two doubles, three singles and a walk before being pulled in favor of Ali Domkuski.
The difference between game one and game two was that ISU’s offense responded with a big inning of its own. The Redbirds scored five in the bottom of the first to tie the game up, recording all five runs with two outs.
De los Reyes opened the rally with a base hit and Strandgard followed with a walk. Prader then singled in de los Reyes and moved up a base on a fielding error in centerfield, which also allowed Strandgard to score. After Payton Billups singled, Alex Caliva provided the big hit, clubbing a three-run homer to tie the game. The home run was the first of Caliva’s career.
The tie game would not last long though. Wichita State’s offense plated four more runs in the second, which knocked Domkuski out of the game. The inning featured a solo home run from Brittany Fortner and a three-run homer from Cacy Williams.
Both offenses went without a run in the third, but the Shockers tacked on another in the top of the fourth when Paige Luellen hit a solo home run off of Shannon Felde. The next inning, Laurie Anne Derrico led off with a solo shot and Luellen drove in two more with an RBI single. Luellen later scored on an RBI single from Macklin Hitz to make the score 14-5.
ISU was able to get one run back in the bottom of the fifth when Billups drove in Romshek with an RBI single, but it was not enough as ISU fell by run rule.
Caliva led the offense, finishing 1-for-3 with three RBIs, while Strandgard and Billups each chipped in two hits. In the circle, Felde pitched 3.2 innings and allowed five runs on six hits, while striking out three and walking two.
