CARBONDALE, IL ? After a one hour delayed start time due to inclement weather, the first round of the 2008 Missouri Valley Conference softball tournament between the No. 8 seeded Indiana State Sycamores (19-30-1, 7-16 MVC) and the No. 5 seeded Wichita State Shockers (33-27, 13-13 MVC) kicked off in Charlotte West Stadium at Southern Illinois University. Things looked real good early for the Sycamores as they were up 4-0 at one point but similar to the regular season, errors became the story and they ended up losing 5-4 on a 2-RBI walk-off single to right field.
Junior shortstop Meredith Simpson gave the Sycamores a 1-0 lead in the first inning by hitting her team leading eleventh homerun of the season. Simpson was the very first batter that Wichita State's Brianna Smet faced. Ironically, back in the regular season, the Sycamores took a 1-0 victory over the Shockers off of a leadoff homerun by Simpson also in the very first inning.
In the bottom half of the frame, the Sycamores defensive efforts did not allow any Shocker runs to cross home plate. With runners on first and second after a Sycamore error and a walk by pitcher Katie Armour, WSU's Britnee Barnett reached first base on a fielder's choice as she hit the ball directly back to Armour who threw the lead runner out at third base. Cynthia Verhulst was the next batter up and just like Barnett, she hit Armour's pitch directly back to the circle and the Sycamores got out of the inning with a 1-5-3 double play.
Indiana State got things cooking in the top of the third inning just before the rain halted play for just a short time. After Reva LeDune popped up to second, consecutive singles by Lindsey Starwalt and Simpson put runners on first and second. Following a seventeen-minute rain delay, Christina Meyers hit a popup to right field and Lindsie Mitts attempted to make a diving catch on her knees but the ball popped right out of her glove which loaded the bases for the Sycamores. Freshman Leslie Fakes, who was previously 0-6 against the Shockers during the regular season, hit a 2-RBI single to centerfield to put her team up 3-0 before the Shockers were able to get out of the inning.
After another great defensive effort from the Sycamores, they took their turn at-bat once again doing damage in the top of the fourth inning. Sam Markowski led off the inning with a single to centerfield and was replaced by pinch runner Amber Paz. Following a LeDune strikeout, Starwalt picked up another single in the game to advance Paz to second. Simpson, who already had two hits including a solo homerun, tallied her third hit of the day, a single to left center which scored Paz and put the Sycamores up 4-0 on the Shockers.
In the bottom of the fifth, Armour retired her tenth batter in a row before a Sycamore fielding error and a single to left field by Mitts put runners on first and second. Kiersten Dixon followed with a sacrifice bunt which advanced both runners a base to put them in scoring position. Katie McGeeney stepped up the plate with two outs and hit a shot on the ground to third base. Meyers attempted to throw McGeeney out at first but threw the ball a little too high and wide for the second Sycamore error causing first basemen Kelsey Anderson to have to reach for the ball and ultimately collide with the base runner. Two unearned Shocker runs crossed home plate on the error and put the score at 4-2 in favor of the Sycamores.
The bottom of the sixth inning began with a Shocker batter lining a pitch right back at Armour which hit her hand but she remained in the game. Heather Gerritse doubled to center field after LeDune attempted a diving catch and runners stood on second and third. Head coach Brenda Coldren brought in Meagan McCurdy to replace Armour who went five innings giving up just four hits, three runs, only one of which was earned. Jamie Hull was the first batter that McCurdy faced and she reached base on another Sycamore fielding error but it proved to be harmless as they were able to get out of the inning without further damage on another 1-5-3 double play.
Hull came into the game to replace Smet at pitcher in the top of the seventh inning. The Sycamores were unable to plate any runs so the Shockers, down 4-3 in the bottom of the final inning, had one last chance to score some runs...and that they did.
Dixon singled to left field and advanced to second on a wild pitch by McCurdy. McGeeney, for the third time in the game, reached base on an error by the Sycamores. She hit a routine fly ball to left field that was dropped by Fakes for the fifth Sycamore error of the game putting Shocker runners on second and third. After Coldren made some defensive changes, Kara L'Huilier was walked to load the bases. Barnett reached on a fielder's choice as the Sycamores were able to get the force-out at home. Verhulst became the hero as she hit a 2-RBI walk-off single to right field to win the game for the Shockers.
McCurdy receives the loss (11-15) after giving up two hits and two runs (one earned) to the eight batters she faced.
The Sycamores end the season with a 19-30-1 overall mark and 7-16 in regular-season MVC play. Kelsey Anderson, Katie Iocoangeli, and Lindsey Starwalt played in their final collegiate ballgame this afternoon. Starwalt went 2-for-3 with two singles and a run. Simpson led the team offensively going 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
