By ISU Sports Information
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Four Redbird home runs paved the way for Illinois State’s five-inning, 13-2 victory over Rutgers on Saturday morning at the FAU Parents’ Weekend Tournament.
“We certainly brought our bats today,” head coach Melinda Fischer said. “It got contagious. There were some great contributions off the bench with quality at-bats. Defensively, Rutgers challenged a lot but we were able to put a complete ball game together for the win.”
Illinois State posted 16 hits against Rutgers, led by Riley Strandgard and Allison Spence both going 3-for-3 at the plate with a home run apiece. Jordan de los Reyes rounded out the Redbirds’ home runs with two, totaling three RBI on the day. Riley Hale also drove in two runs on a double while Annie Heineman and Anni Borries accounted for the final two RBI. Alyssa Wiebel posted her seventh career multi-hit game while Riley Phipps and Kadi Borries each logged a hit in the contest. The Redbirds improve to 8-11 while the Scarlet Knights fall top 3-15.
Strandgard sent the ball down the leftfield line followed up by a Wiebel liner to left. Spence put the first run on the board with a ball to left-center. Caitlyn Daly reached on an error, allowing a second Redbird run to cross the plate to take a 2-0 lead by the end of the first inning.
Rutgers responded in the bottom of the frame with a Nicole Bowman two-run home run to right, evening up the score at two which would not last long.
Illinois State took a commanding 11-2 lead in the third inning, putting up nine runs on seven hits, including three home runs. A walk and another Spence single set up for Heineman’s RBI-double to left-center, giving the Redbirds a 3-2 lead. Mesecher walked to load the bases before Hale plated two on a single up the middle. In the first of three home runs, Strandgard scored two with a gone-ball to left. De los Reyes rocketed her 38th career home run to center after Wiebel doubled, making it a two-run bomb. Spence capped off the Redbirds’ scoring in the frame with her first home run of the season to right field.
The Redbirds did not quit as Borries singled to left in her first career at-bat in the fourth. De los Reyes opened up the fifth inning with a long ball to left-center for her second home run of the game. Phipps tacked on another hit for Illinois State, doubling to left. Borries did the same, sending an RBI-double down the left line.
Illinois State held Rutgers scoreless for the last four innings to earn the 13-2 win. Sarah Finck tossed her eighth complete game to earn her sixth win of the season. Starter Whitney Jones took the loss for Rutgers.
The Redbirds conclude the weekend against Fordham at 12:30 p.m. and Fairfield at 2:45 p.m.
