By: WJBC Staff
TAMPA, Fla. – After nearly a two-hour delay, the Illinois State softball team earned its first win of the season by defeating Delaware, 19-13 at the USF Softball Stadium Saturday night into early Sunday morning. The two teams logged 31 hits in the nearly three-hour battle.
Not only did Shannon Felde pick up the win in the circle, she led the Redbirds’ offense, going 4-for-4 with a single, double, and triple driving in four runs. Alyssa Wiebel tacked on another three RBI on a pair of hits, including a home run. Allison Spence, Jordan de los Reyes, and Riley Hale each drove in two runs for Illinois State. The Redbirds totaled 14 RBI while the Blue Hens collected seven.
The Redbirds batted around in the first inning to take an 8-0 lead off two-RBI at-bats by Felde, Spence, and Hale. Felde opened up the contest with a single down the right line. Annie Heineman knocked a bunt single to third, positioning the Redbirds to score.
Spence put Illinois State on the board with a two-run double to right field. Hale followed suit with a double to left, scoring Spence and Wiebel. Felde came up to bat a second time in the frame, sailing a triple to left-center to bring home Hale and Kori Mesecher. The Redbirds scored the remaining two runs of the frame on a pair of Blue Hen errors.
The Blue Hens jumped on the board on a pair of runs in the bottom off the first with a Giovanna Kolofer two-run single.
Delaware capitalized on four Redbird errors in the third inning, putting up seven runs to take a one run lead.
The Redbirds responded with Wiebel’s two-run home run, scoring Riley Strandgard who singled to lead off the frame. Illinois State’s offense continued into the fifth inning with a pair of singles by Heineman and Strandgard. Wiebel drew a walk to load the bags before de los Reyes singled through the right side, scoring three.
The battle continued into the seventh inning with the Redbirds scoring six runs and the Blue Hens collecting four. Riley Phipps knocked an RBI-single up the middle before Felde’s standout day continued with a two-RBI double to left.
Delaware’s Anna Steinmetz launched a home run to right-center to give the Blue Hens their final run of the game.
Felde picked the win in the circle with a pair of strikeouts. The Redbirds collected their first win of the season, improving to 1-3 while the Blue Hens fall to 0-4.
The Redbirds wrap up the USF Wilson DeMarini Tournament with St. John’s Sunday at 10:15 a.m.
