By: WJBC Staff
BATON ROUGE, La. – Led by a pair of freshmen, Illinois State closed out the second day of the LSU Tiger Invitational with a 2-1 win over Florida Atlantic, after beginning the day with a 5-1 setback to Troy at Tiger Park.
Freshmen Anni Borries and Alyssa Wiebel steadied the Redbirds’ offense with two hits apiece in the first and second games, respectively. Sarah Finck tossed her sixth complete game, throwing five strikeouts against the Owls to earn her fifth win of the year. With the split decision, Illinois State sits at 7-8 while Troy improves to 11-8 and Florida Atlantic drops to 12-6.
Game One vs. Troy: L, 5-1
Borries led the Redbirds with a 2-for-3 outing at the plate for her first collegiate hits. Kori Mesecher drove in Illinois State’s lone run on a sac-fly in the third inning, but the Redbirds could not capitalize with two runners on the seventh inning, falling to 6-8 with the Trojans improving to 11-8 on the season.
With a pair of Trojans on base, the Redbirds escape the first inning with a pair of groundouts.
The Redbirds struck in the third to take a one-run lead. In her first collegiate hit, Borries doubled to left before Abby Turcyzn advanced her on a sac bunt and Mesecher brought the runner home on a sac-fly to right. Riley Hale singled in the frame but was left on base.
The Trojans capitalized on a pair of Redbird errors, threatening in the third, but a Wiebel-Allison Spence double play ended the frame.
Jordan de los Reyes drew a walk before Wiebel knocked a single to right-center to put Illinois State on the corners. With one out, Troy made a pitching change but a pair of fly-outs end the frame.
The Trojans evened the score in the fourth before quickly taking a 5-1 lead on five hits. Illinois State made a pair of pitching changes in the frame as Veronique Johnson saw five batters before Finck closed the inning for the final two outs.
Leading off the sixth inning, Riley Strandgard singled through the left side before de los Reyes knocked one up the middle to put the Redbirds on the corners. Stephanie Thulen came into run at first, but Troy held off Illinois State, maintaining the four-run edge.
Borries’ momentum continued through the game, recording her second career hit to lead off the seventh. Pinch runner Riley Phipps drew a walk before Taylor Vanderpool came in to run at first. However, a pair of fly-outs clinched the 5-1 win for Troy.
Starting pitcher Ali Domkuski took the loss in 3.0 innings of work with Johnson and Finck tossing 0.1 and 2.2 innings in relief, respectively.
Game Two vs. Florida Atlantic: W, 2-1
Even though the Owls took an early 1-0 lead, the Redbirds fought back to quickly tie the game at one. After four scoreless innings, Vanderpool scored the game-winning run on Wiebel’s RBI-triple to clinch the 2-1 decision in the sixth inning.
Finck struck out the first batter before the Owls’ Emily Lochten sent a home run beyond the centerfield fence for the 1-0 lead in the first. However, the Redbirds closed out the frame with a 5-4-3 double play by Wiebel, Alex Caliva, and Spence.
The Owls’ lead did not last long as the Redbirds evened it up at one on a trio of hits in the first. Riley Hale opened up the game with a single up the middle before Strandgard doubled to center. Spence sent a sac-fly to center, plating one run. De los Reyes singled in the first but a double play ended the inning with the score evened up at 1-1.
In the second, Caliva singled to short and stole second before a strikeout ended the inning. The Redbirds threatened again in the third with Riley Hale drawing a leadoff walk but a trio of fly-outs closed the frame.
Illinois State’s defense held off Florida Atlantic again in the fourth with Finck’s third strikeout before a pair of groundouts to the left side.
With two outs, Vanderpool came in to run for de los Reyes who drew a walk. Wiebel ended the five-inning drought with a triple to the leftfield warning track, clinching the Redbirds 2-1 win.
Finck (5-3) earned the win in her fifth complete game of the season with five strikeouts while failing to issue a walk. The Owls’ Mia Olson took the complete-game loss.
The Redbirds wrap up the LSU Tiger Invite Sunday at 11 a.m. against No. 10 Minnesota.
