By WJBC Staff
NORMAL – After losing game one of a doubleheader against Evansville, Shannon Felde secured a walk-off win for the Illinois State softball team in game two with an RBI single. Evansville defeated ISU, 5-3, in the opener before the Redbirds took game two, 2-1, in eight innings.
The Redbirds (13-25, 5-7 MVC) have won four of their last five conference games and the two teams will finish the series Sunday at noon. Listen here at WJBC.com.
Game 1: Evansville 5 – Illinois State 3
Sarah Finck battled for 6.1 innings, but the Redbirds could not overcome an early deficit in the third inning. After both teams went scoreless through the first two innings, Evansville’s Courtney Land led off the top of the third with a double. Two batters later, Chandra Parr singled to put two on with one out. Evansville starting pitcher, Morgan Florey, then hit a three-run home run, which was her second of the season.
ISU was able to get one run back in the bottom of the third when Alex Caliva doubled and Finck singled her home. After Finck helped herself out, she went to work in the circle, racking up scoreless fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
Meanwhile, her offense got one run back in the bottom of the fifth to cut the deficit to one. Annie Heineman singled with two outs and stole second base, her sixth steal of the season. Regan Romshek then singled Heineman in.
With a one-run lead in the seventh, Evansville tacked on two more runs to put the lead back to three. Parr singled with one out and Florey followed with a two-run home run to make it 5-2.
The Redbirds attempted to rally in the bottom of the seventh when Finck walked to lead off the inning. Felde followed with a single and Heineman reached on an error. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Romshek lifted a fly ball deep to center field. The ball just missed going out, but it was deep enough for a sacrifice fly to make it 5-3. However, Florey was able to get the next two batters to end the game and secure the win for the Purple Aces.
Florey went all seven innings and allowed seven hits and three earned runs. She struck out six and walked two, while throwing 113 pitches. At the plate, Florey finished 2-for-3 with two home runs, five RBIs and a walk.
Seven different Redbirds recorded a hit, while Finck allowed nine hits and five earned runs over the course of 6.1 innings. She struck out five and walked four, but fell to 5-12 on the season.
Game 2: Illinois State 2 – Evansville 1
Game two was a pitcher’s duel throughout as Regan Romshek and Amanda Blankenship battled for seven innings. Romshek worked three perfect innings to start the game, and worked around a single in the fourth to keep Evansville off the board.
Blankenship matched Romshek, allowing a baserunner in each of the first three innings, but no runs. In the fourth, she allowed a leadoff double to Jordan de los Reyes and Payton Billups singled to score de los Reyes.
The Redbirds took a 1-0 lead and Romshek preserved it until the sixth when Kristin Koepke led off the top of the inning with a solo home run to tie the game. It was the first time an Evansville batter had made it past first base.
The Redbird offense left a runner at second in the sixth and runners on the corners in the seventh, which forced extra innings. In the eighth, Romshek allowed a walk, but the runner was later thrown out by de los Reyes trying to steal second. After facing the minimum, ISU’s offense came to the plate in the bottom of the inning.
Caliva was hit by a pitch with one out and took second on a wild pitch. With two outs, Felde stepped to the plate and singled up the middle, driving in the game-winning run. It was Felde’s third hit of the day and first career RBI.
Felde and Heineman both finished with two hits, while de los Reyes and Billups tallied the other two. Romshek pitched eight innings and scattered four hits, while striking out five and walking two.
