CEDAR FALLS- The Illinois State softball team clinched a spot in next week’s Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in Carbondale, Illinois, as the Redbirds split with Northern Iowa in conference action Saturday at Robinson Dresser Field. ISU rallied in the opener to pull out a 2-1 victory, before falling to the Panthers in the nightcap, 5-2.
The Redbirds (18-31, 10-13 MVC) and UNI (37-18, 15-10 MVC) will conclude the series Sunday with the rubber game at 12 p.m., which will conclude the regular season for both sides.
Game 1: Illinois State 2 – UNI 1
Senior Regan Romshek tossed a complete-game three hitter in the circle, as she walked four and fanned five to move to 8-8 on the season. The only run she allowed came in the bottom of the second when the Panthers’ Alyssa Buchanan delivered a RBI double, before Romshek was able to limit the damage by stranding a pair of runners in scoring position.
ISU knotted the game at 1-1 in the top of the fourth when freshman Allison Spence stroked a one-out RBI double to left center that plated fellow classmate Kori Mesecher, who came into pinch run for junior Jordan de los Reyes, as the Redbird starting backstop singled to start the frame.
One inning later, ISU scored again with one out to take the lead for good at 2-1. Freshman Shannon Felde worked a one-out walk and came around to score when the next batter, junior Annie Heineman, roped a 1-2 pitch to the gap in right center for a RBI double. She would then steal third base but was left stranded.
The run was enough for Romshek, who worked out of trouble in the fifth and seventh innings to clinch the victory. Heineman led the Redbirds’ six-hit effort by going 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and a pair of stolen bases.
Chelsea Ross (15-8) took the loss in the circle for UNI in the complete-game effort. She allowed two earned runs on six hits, walked three and whiffed 10.
Game 2: UNI 5 – Illinois State 2
ISU took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Spence delivered a two-out RBI single up the middle to plate Romshek. However, the Panthers quickly tied it at 1-1 in the bottom half on Caitlin Wnek’s run-scoring single with the bases loaded. UNI had an opportunity to tack on more runs, but the Redbirds gunned down the lead runner at home on a fielder’s choice, before the Panthers hit into a 5-2-3 inning-ending double play.
The Redbirds loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the second when sophomore Alex Caliva walked, sophomore Lauren Prader singled and sophomore starting pitcher Sarah Finck walked, which prompted a pitching change. After a pop up to shortstop for the first out, Romshek singled through the right side to score Caliva and move ISU back in front, 2-1. But the Redbirds were unable to tack on more runs.
The advantage lasted until the bottom of the fourth when UNI scored three times to take the lead for good at 4-2. Micalla Rettinger delivered the big blow with a two-run double, and Ross followed with a RBI single to cap the scoring. The Panthers then added another run in the bottom of the sixth to increase their lead to the final score of 5-2.
Romshek and de los Reyes both singled to start the top of the seventh for ISU, but the next three batters were retired in order, as UNI was able to earn the split.
Finck (7-15) took the loss in the circle, as she yielded four earned runs on nine hits over 4.1 innings of work while walking one and striking out four. Bailey Lange (6-2) tossed 6.0 innings of scoreless relief to earn the victory.
The Redbirds finished with eight hits, with Romshek and de los Reyes each recording a pair. The Panthers tallied 12 hits, as Rettinger led the way with a 3-for-4, two-RBI performance.
