May 3, 2008

Final Stats | Postgame Quotes

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Junior center fielder Katie Mathis hit her first-career home run and recorded a career-high-tying three RBI to help the Illinois State softball team (27-19 overall, 16-7 Missouri Valley Conference) bounce back from a tough game-one loss and defeat host Northern Iowa, 8-6, in game two Saturday afternoon at the Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Mathis' first-career home run highlighted a 1-for-3 batting performance that included a career-high-tying three RBI for the Shawnee, Kan., native. One game after having her season-high nine-game hitting streak snapped, junior left fielder Jessie Buker also bounced back offensively, as she was 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBI and a run scored. Junior pitcher/first baseman Amber Smith was also stellar at the plate for the Redbirds, as she went 3-for-4 with three singles.

Junior Rachel Smith (9-5) recorded her ninth win of the season for ISU, as she pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed a career-high six runs on 11 hits, which were also a career-high for hits allowed for the Williamsville, Ill., native.

UNI's Jen Larsen (6-13) suffered the loss for the Panthers after she surrendered eight runs to the Redbirds on nine hits in just three full innings pitched.

Buker, the reigning State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week, continued her torrid hitting early in the game, as she ripped her team-high ninth home run - a two-run shot - in the top of the first inning, to give the Redbirds an early 2-0 lead.

Just as it did in Saturday's first game after tailing early, Northern Iowa rallied for a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. After Larsen singled up the middle, a bloop double into shallow right field by Rachel Gerking scored Larsen and tied the game at 1-1. Northern Iowa took a 2-1 lead one batter later when Crystal Keiper's RBI single into right field scored Gerking.

Illinois State plated an additional run in the top of the second inning after an RBI single by sophomore third baseman Kara Nelson scored senior second baseman Tiffany Prager.

The Redbirds continued to lay on the offense in the third inning, as they exploded for five runs in the frame on five hits. The inning started with consecutive singles by Amber Smith and Buker. A single by Rachel Smith scored Amber Smith, and then junior catcher Casey Gorrell drove in another Redbird run on a fielder's choice back to the UNI shortstop. After junior shortstop Kaprice Williams singled, Mathis came to the plate and drove a ball deep over the right-center field fence for a three-run home run that gave ISU an 8-2 advantage.

Larsen and Gerking once again combined to produce another run for the Panthers in the bottom of the fifth inning. Larsen started the rally with a two-out single, which gave way to an RBI double by Gerking that cut the Redbird lead to 8-3.

A two-out double by Kelly Papesh in the bottom of the sixth inning scored UNI's fourth run of the game, as Crystal Keiper came around to score after she led off the inning with a single.

In a near repeat performance of game one's two-out meltdown for ISU, Northern Iowa rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to cut ISU's lead to 8-6, with the possibility of tying the game in its last at-bat. Stephanie Aguero singled with one out in the inning and then advanced to second base when Larsen walked. That forced Amber Smith out of the game, and with Rachel Smith on to pitch in relief, a single up the middle by Keiper scored both Aguero and Larsen and brought the tying run to the plate. Unlike in game one where the Redbirds were unable to stop the UNI rally, Rachel Smith settled down and got Brittyney Balduf to ground out to end the game.

Illinois State and Northern Iowa will wrap up their three-game Missouri Valley Conference series at noon Sunday at the Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Sunday's game will mark the final regular-season game for ISU, as the Redbirds gear up for the upcoming State Farm MVC Tournament (May 8-10 in Carbondale, Ill.).