Area Softball Players Compete In College Tourneys

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Published on March 9 2020 7:16 am
Last Updated on March 9 2020 7:16 am

BATON ROUGE, La. – The Illinois State softball team opened day two of the LSU Round Robin with a 5-1 win over Campbell, before nationally-ranked LSU defeated the Redbirds, 5-1, in the night cap.

BIRD BITS – GAME 1 VS. CAMPBELL – W, 5-1

Top Offensive Players:

Mack Leonard: 2-for-2, R, 2B, BBBrittni LaFountaine: 1-for-3, R, 2 RBI

Pitching Breakdown:

Mack Leonard: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 KHannah Ross: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K BY THE NUMBERS / KEY INNINGS – GAME 1 VS. CAMPBELL – W, 5-1
Illinois State broke scoring open in the third inning, as Kadi Borries and Mack Leonard each drew a walk to put two on-base for the Redbirds.

Emme Olson notched a two-out RBI double down the right field line to help the Redbirds jump on the board first. In the next at-bat, Brittni LaFountaine singled to bring two more across home plate, before a single by Andrea Coursey helped ISU hold a 4-0 advantage after three innings.

Campbell launched a solo home run over the right field wall in the top of the sixth, before an RBI single by Spenser Strandgard pushed the Redbirds back out to a four-run advantage.

ISU sent the Camels down in order in the seventh to grab the 5-1 victory over Campbell. BIRD BITS – GAME 2 VS. NO. 5/4 LSU – L, 5-1

Top Offensive Players:

Alyssa Wiebel: 1-for-3, HR Pitching Breakdown:

Morgan Day: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 6 K BY THE NUMBERS / KEY INNINGS – GAME 2 VS. NO. 5/4 LSU – L, 5-1

Back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the second helped the Tigers take an early 1-0 lead, before adding another run on the board with a single to left center field.

LSU hit a homer down the left field line in the fourth inning, despite Morgan Day fanning her fifth Tiger of the game to slam the door on the frame, to sit at a 3-0 advantage.

A solo home run by Alyssa Wiebel in the top of the sixth helped the Redbirds scratch a run on the board with two outs.

A two-RBI double by LSU in the bottom of the frame helped the Tigers extend their lead to four runs, holding on for the 5-1 win over ISU.

The Illinois State softball team (11-11) fell, 9-1, in six innings to No. 5/4 LSU (20-3) on Sunday to close out the Tigers’ Round Robin, finishing at 2-2 on the weekend.

BIRD BITS

Top Offensive Players:

Emme Olson: 1-for-3, 2BTaylor Vanderpool: 1-for-2, HR

Pitching Breakdown:

Amanda Fox: 2.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 1 KHannah Ross: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 KKadi Borries: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K – first career appearance

BY THE NUMBERS / KEY INNINGS

LSU scratched five runs across on seven hits in the opening two frames to hold a 5-0 advantage over ISU early.

Taylor Vanderpool launched her first home run of the season – and third of her career – to lead off the top of the third inning to put the Redbirds on the board.

An RBI single in the bottom of the fourth helped LSU regain a five-run lead, before the Tigers tacked on a trio of unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the game, 9-1.

ON DECK

Illinois State will play its final game in Baton Rouge on Monday with a 3 p.m. match-up against Southern University. 


Bradley at Governors Classic

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Senior Kealia Wysocki hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs to help Bradley Softball to a 6-5 victory over UMass Lowell Sunday in the final game for the Braves at the Governors Classic.

Wysocki smacked her third homer of the year and the 29th of her career to help highlight the 6-5 win that improved Bradley to 14-9 on the season to match the team’s best record through 23 games since the 2007 season (14-9). 

Both teams put the leadoff person on in the first and failed to score, but UMass Lowell (5-9 overall) was able to push two runs across in the top of the second to take a 2-0 lead.  After a pair of one-out singles, the River Hawks scored the first run of the contest on a wild pitch and another run came home on an Olivia Labbe double as Bradley trailed 2-0.

A three-run third put the Braves in front 3-2.  Sophomores Grace French and Lucy Mead had one-out singles and Bradley had runners at second and third after a wild pitch.  French eventually scored on a passed ball with two outs.  The Braves got another run on a single down the right field line by junior Taise Thompson and Wyscoki followed with a RBI single of her own as Bradley grabbed a 3-2 lead. 

The River Hawks had a three-run inning of their own in the top of the fifth to retake the lead at 5-3.  Back-to-back singles to open the inning was followed by a

Bradley error as UMass Lowell tied the game at 3-3.  Sara Siteman gave the River Hawks a 4-3 advantage with a RBI single and a bases loaded single later in the inning by Melany Sheldon pushed the UMass Lowell lead to 5-3. 

A two-out rally by the Braves in the bottom half of the fifth tied things up at 5-5.  Thompson ripped a two-out double to right center and Wysocki followed with a two-run homer to center.

Freshman Morgan Radford, who took over for Grace French in the fifth, worked around a one-out single for a scoreless sixth and Bradley manufactured a run in the bottom half of the sixth to take a 6-5 lead.  Sophomore Keeler van Breusegen and French both walked to open the BU half of the sixth and the Braves had runners at second and third after a wild pitch.  Mead drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to left as Bradley regained the lead. 

UMass Lowell got a single by Maria Moccio to open the top of the seventh, but the Braves turned a double play and Radford got a groundout to close out the victory as she improved to 3-4 on the year. 

Bradley will open Missouri Valley Conference play next weekend, hosting Loyola for a three-game series that is scheduled to begin Saturday with a noon doubleheader at Petersen Hotels Field at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex. 

After dropping an extra-inning contest to tournament-host Austin Peay Friday, Bradley Softball got revenge with a 7-1 victory over the Governors Saturday afternoon on the second day of action at the Governors Classic.

Sophomore Grace French drove in a pair of runs in a 1-for-3 effort at the plate in addition to picking up the win in the circle for the Braves with a complete game effort.  Junior Taise Thompson hit her first home run of the season and seniors Kealia Wysocki and Allison Apke combined for six of Bradley’s nine hits on the day.  Wysocki was 4-for-4 with a pair of runs, while Apke went 2-for-3 with a run and one RBI. 

Bradley (12-9 overall) opened the scoring with three runs in the top of the second.  Walks by Apke and Thompson along with a Wysocki single loaded the bases to start the inning.  Junior Jillian Navarro drove home a run with a sacrifice fly and French plated another run when she reached on an error.  Apke scored the third run of the inning when she came home on a wild pitch to give the Braves a 3-0 lead.

French worked around a one-out single in the bottom half of the second and Bradley added three more runs in the top of the third.  Junior Stacia Seeton walked to start the frame and Thompson ripped a two-run homer to left center for her first home run of the year.  With two on after Apke and Wysocki singles,

French drove in another run with a single to left as Bradley pushed the advantage to 6-0.

Austin Peay (8-11 overall) was able to get a run in the bottom of the third after Emily Moore led off the inning with a single.  Moore stole second and moved to third on a groundout, before coming home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Bailey Shorter as the Governors cut the BU lead to 6-1. 
Both teams stranded a pair of runners during the fourth inning and the fifth inning saw both pitchers sit the other squad down in order.  In the sixth, Austin Peay had a one-out single and walk to put a pair on, only to have French strikeout the next two batters to get out of the jam. 

Bradley added an insurance run in the top of the seventh on an Apke RBI single.  Thompson walked to start the frame and the Braves had two on for Apke after Wysocki singled for her fourth hit of the contest.  An Apke single down the left field line allowed Thompson to cross as the Braves took a 7-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh. 

French, who improved to 5-0 on the year, struck out two in the seventh and retired Austin Peay in order to close out the complete game win.  She matched a career-high with a season-best seven strikeouts in the win.

Bradley hit three homers and had six extra-base hits as the Braves wrapped up the second day of play at the Governors Classic with a 10-2 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne Saturday night.

Senior Allison Apke hit her team-leading fifth homer and also had a triple in a 2-for-3 outing in which she scored three runs and drove in one.  Junior Taise Thompson hit a homer as well, after belting a dinger in the day’s earlier game against Austin Peay, and fellow junior Jullian Navarro smashed her second homer with a sixth-inning blast to cap the scoring. 

Emma Jackson struck out a season-high seven in the complete game victory, evening her record at 5-5 on the year as she matched her win total from her junior season. 

Bradley (13-9 overall) wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, thanks to a Lucy Mead double to start the game.  She came around to score on a two-out single up the middle by Thompson, who drove in three in the contest, as the Braves grabbed an early 1-0 lead. 

Purdue Fort Wayne (3-17 overall) tied it up with a run in the second.  Alaina White had a leadoff double and scored on a one-out double off the bat of Olivia Stansbury to tie the game at 1-1. 

The Mastodons struck for another run in the bottom of the third.  Brooke Imel had a one-out infield single and stole second before moving to third on a wild pitch.  She eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Morganne Deeny as Purdue Fort Wayne went in front 2-1. 

Bradley answered with three runs in the top of the fourth, however, to retake the lead at 4-2.  Apke was hit by a pitch, Navarro singled and freshman Bella Mauries drew a walk to load the bases.  Sophomore Grace French drove in two with a single up the middle and later in the inning junior Stacia Seeton drew a bases loaded walk to plate another run.  After leaving four on base in the first three innings, Bradley left the bases loaded in the fourth. 

Purdue Fort Wayne had two on with one out after an error and single in the bottom half of the fourth.  Jackson got out of the jam with a fly out and strikeout to help the Braves keep the two-run advantage.

Apke led off the Bradley half of the fifth with a solo homer, her fifth of the year and school record 32nd of her career, to give the Braves a 5-2 edge. 
Jackson escaped another jam in the bottom of the fifth.  A one-out error and two-single gave Purdue Fort Wayne two base runners, but a groundout to first ended the threat. 

Bradley broke the game open with a five-run sixth.  Mead led off with a bunt single and sophomore Camryn Monteer drew a walk.  After the pair advanced on a wild pitch, Seeton plated Mead from third with a sacrifice fly.  Thompson followed with a two-run homer to left center to make it an 8-2 Bradley lead.  Apke then legged out a two-out triple for her second three-bagger of the season and came home on a two-run homer to right by Navarro as the BU lead reached 10-2.

Jackson hit the first batter she faced in the bottom half of the sixth, only to settle down and retire the next three batters she faced to close out the complete game win