Redbirds Secure Series Win Over Murray State to Close Regular Season

IMAGE COURTESY OF REDBIRD ATHLETICS

NORMAL, Ill.- Illinois State softball took on Murray State this past weekend for their final series of the regular season. The Redbirds came out with a series win in three games.

In game one, on the mound for the Redbirds was Junior Hannah Meshnick, who pitched all 7 innings, giving up 9 hits, 2 earned runs, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts. Senior Abby Knight went 2-4 with a run, fellow Senior Addison Masching went 1-3 with an RBI, and Sophomore Ella Boyer was 1-4 with an RBI. The Redbirds won 4-2. By securing the win it gave Meshnick her 11th win of the season.

In game two, Sophomore Paige McLeod started for Illinois State, going 4 and a third innings, giving up 5 hits, 3 earned runs, 3 walks, and recording 4 strikeouts. Junior Hannah Meeks came in to relive McLeod, going 1 and 2 thirds, innings giving up 2 earned runs, a walk, and a strikeout. Alongside the poor pitching performance was a lack of offense from the Redbirds with their only run coming in the second inning. Despite the lack of offense, Freshman Tatum Wolford had herself a day, going 1-2 with a home run and a walk. Masching was 1-3 with a double. The Redbirds lost 6-1.

The final game in Kentucky went 11 innings with Meshnick starting again for Illinois State, where she went 11 innings giving up 10 hits, 5 earned runs, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts. The Redbird offense heated up with Senior Delaniey Bryant going 2-5 with a run, Knight going 2-6 with a double and three RBIs, Junior Lexi Griffin also 2-6 with two doubles and an RBI, Sophomore Julia Larson went 3-5, earning herself a double, a triple, and an RBI, Masching 3-6 with two doubles and an RBI, Boyer went 2-4 with a triple, and lastly, Senior catcher Bella Wilkerson going 2-5, earning herself two doubles and an RBI. Murray State got four runs in the first inning, but Illinois State was able to tie that up in the sixth inning. This lasted until the tenth inning, where each side scored a run. In the eleventh inning, the Redbirds were able to score three runs thanks to Griffin and Larson. Redbirds won 8 to 5.

Redbird softball ended 23-39 overall and was 16-11 in conference. They will head to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament starting on May 7th in Des Moines, Iowa.