By ISU Sports Information
PEORIA – Bradley used two extra base hits to drive in five runs and defeated the Illinois State softball team, 5-3, Thursday at Laura Bradley Park in Peoria, Illinois. The loss drops the Redbirds to 13-27 overall and 5-9 in the conference.
Because of a rain delay, the second game of the doubleheader was postponed and will be played Tuesday at Marian Kneer Stadium.
Before the rain came, both teams went scoreless in the first inning, but ISU starter Sarah Finck helped herself out in the top of the second. The sophomore hit a solo home run to give ISU an early 1-0 lead. The home run was the second of the season for Finck.
Bradley struck back in the bottom of the inning to take its first lead. A pair of hit by pitches and a walk loaded the bases for Bradley with two outs in the inning. The Braves’ leadoff hitter, Elizabeth Leonard, then stepped to the plate and lined a bases clearing double into the left-center field gap to make it 3-1 Bradley.
Rain and lightning came in the top of the third and sent the game into a weather delay that lasted over an hour. Once play resumed at 4 p.m., new Bradley pitcher Megan Mahaffy recorded back-to-back strikeouts to get out of a two on, one out jam and maintain the Bradley lead.
Bradley plated two more runs in the bottom of the third on a triple from Kendall Duffy. The Braves would leave runners at second and third to end the inning, but held a 5-1 lead after three.
Putting runners on base continued to be no problem for the Redbirds, but moving them around to score was. After base hits from Jordan de los Reyes and Riley Strandgard put runners at second and third, Mahaffy was able to record a strikeout to end the top of the fifth inning.
Finck settled in after the third inning, working scoreless fourth and fifth innings. In the fifth, she needed just four pitches to retire the side. However, the ISU offense went down in order in the sixth and in the bottom of the inning, Bradley loaded the bases and knocked Finck out of the game. Regan Romshek came in to pitch and was able to work out of the jam with no damage done.
In the top of the seventh, ISU mounted a rally. After Shannon Felde led off with a single, Romshek doubled off the fence in center field to bring Felde in. Two batters later, Strandgard singled and Romshek scored on a throwing error to cut the deficit to two. However, the final out was recorded a batter later and ISU dropped the opening game of the series.
Finck pitched five innings and allowed five earned runs on eight hits. She struck out three and walked three. Strandgard led the way at the plate, finishing 3-for-4 with three singles. The top four hitters in the ISU lineup finished the game a combined 7-15. Both teams left eight runners on base and the Redbirds left six on base in scoring position.
The Redbirds will be in Chicago this weekend for a three game series at Loyola.
