By ISU Sports Information
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Led by Riley Strandgard’s six-RBI day, Illinois State downed Fordham and Fairfield in Sunday’s doubleheader at the FAU Parents’ Weekend Tournament.
“We played two very solid ballgames today,” head coach Melinda Fischer said. “We really battled in the first game. Each team fought back to take us to extra innings, getting a key hit by Riley Strandgard to score that last run. Sarah Finck hung in there to pitch for us. We adjusted well throughout the game. The second game was very evenly matched – nine hits apiece with no errors. I’m really proud of our pitching staff and the way they put the game together against Fairfield.”
Strandgard hit for the cycle between the two games with four hits, including a two-run home run in game two. Shannon Felde and Jordan de los Reyes drove in two runs in the first and second games, respectively. Felde hit a perfect 3-for-3 in game two. Annie Heineman and Caitlyn Daly had multi-hit games with two hits each in the first and second games, respectively.
With the pair of wins, Illinois State improves to 10-11 while Fordham and Fairfield drop to 18-6 and 4-8, respectively.
Game One vs. Fordham: W, 7-6 (8 inn.)
A de los Reyes throw-down to Strandgard in the first inning would set the tone for the Redbirds’ fight through the extra-inning, 7-6 win over Fordham.
The Redbirds jumped on the board first in the bottom half of the first as Felde ripped a two-run single to left after a walk and Fordham error put runners on base.
Fordham plated one run in the second but Illinois State responded with another pair of runs. Heineman singled then stole second before scoring on a second Fordham miscue. Strandgard slugged a triple to the right field warning track, giving the Redbirds a 4-1 lead after two innings.
Fordham knotted it up with three runs on two hits in the third before taking a two-run lead off a Madison Shaw home run to right-center.
Heineman lined one up the middle in the sixth. Riley Phipps advances her to second before Riley Hale walked. On her second extra-base hit of the day, Strandgard doubled to center, tying up the game at six runs apiece.
A single by de los Reyes and an Allison Spence double put two on in the seventh but the Redbirds could not convert, forcing extra innings.
With the international tie-breaker in place, Heineman took second to begin the inning. After two quick outs, Strandgard sent an RBI-single up the middle, ending her multi-hit game a home run-shy of the cycle.
Finck tossed her ninth complete game in the extra-inning win, improving to 7-5 on the season, while Fairfield’s Lauren Quense took the loss.
Game Two vs. Fairfield: W, 5-3
Despite Fairfield’s early lead on an RBI-single in the first, Illinois State would come out on top, 5-3.
Fairfield’s lead was short-lived as Illinois State responded, scoring four runs on three hits in the third. Strandgard picked up where she left off in the first game to complete the cycle with a two-run home run to left center. De los Reyes matched it with a second gone-ball to center, giving the Redbirds a three-run lead. Daly singled to left-center before a groundout ended the inning at 4-1.
Illinois State’s strong hitting continued as Heineman singled up the middle to begin the fourth. Alyssa Wiebel upped the Redbirds’ score with an RBI-double to right-center, plating on run.
Leading off the inning, Felde and Daly both singled up the middle in the fifth but the pair was left stranded. Felde slugged her third single to the day to right in the seventh inning.
The Stags showed their fight in the bottom of the seventh, posting two runs in the bottom of the seventh before a Morgan Christner strikeout clinched the win.
Starter Ali Domkuski tossed 3.0 innings, allowing five hits. Veronique Johnson began the fourth inning in the circle for the Redbirds, hurling 2.0 innings with one strikeout. Christner threw the final 2.0 innings to clinch the Redbirds’ second win of the day.
