Katie Gaal
GoSycamores.Com
March 15, 2009
WICHITA, Kan. ? After splitting a pair of MVC contests with the Shockers yesterday, Indiana State (6-9 overall, 2-1 MVC) found themselves down by five runs late in the series rubber match this afternoon only to score eight runs in the final two innings to steal the 10-7 win from Wichita State (10-13 overall, 1-2 MVC). Senior Meredith Simpson paced the Sycamores offensively as she blasted two home runs in the game while freshman Lindsey Beisser took over defensively, occupying the mound from the fifth inning on allowing just a single hit to lead the team to victory.
Game Three
Simpson, Indiana State's all-time career home run leader, led off the first inning by blasting her first homer of the 2009 season off Wichita State's Kasha Kolb to give the Sycamores a 1-0 lead early on.
Simpson's home run was good enough to maintain the lead until the third inning when the Shockers brought in four runs off five hits with Darcy Wood on the mound. Wood started the inning off strong after striking out Kiersten Dixon, her fifth strikeout of the game. However, after giving up a single to Kara L'Huillier, Heather Gerritse tripled down the right field line to score L'Huillier and tie the game. Caley Roberts came in to pinch run for Gerritse and wasn't on the bases for long ? although Wood struck out Jamie Hull, the very next batter singled to third base to score Roberts and take the 2-1 lead. An additional single and a hit by pitch loaded the bases for Kersti Rowan who would not disappoint her Shocker teammates as she hit a deep single to right center to score two more runs and take a 4-1 lead heading into the fourth inning.
Wichita State would do further damage in the fourth as Gerritse hit her second homerun of the series with one runner on base to add an additional two runs to their already three-run lead. Heading into the top of the fifth inning, WSU held what they thought was a comfortable 6-1 advantage.
Indiana State began to chip away at their lead. In the fifth, Shonda Garringer singled to left field. Katie Armour followed with a single of her own to put runners on first and second. Britt Boyer came through for her Sycamore teammates by nailing a single to centerfield to score Garringer to make it a 6-2 ballgame, still down by four runs. However, the Shockers scored a single run of their own in the bottom of the same inning to go back up by five runs at 7-2.
At the top of the sixth, Indiana State went on a tear as they plated five runs on six hits to make a monstrous comeback and tie the game at 7-7. Stephanie Robinson and Kacy Kestner started off the inning by hitting back-to-back singles. After Simpson struck out for the second out in the inning, Garringer singled to center field to score Robinson. The Shockers made a pitching change that brought Brianna Smet into the game for Kolb. However, the Sycamore bats remained alive and well. Armour singled up the middle and advanced to second on the throw which allowed Kestner to score. Boyer was hit by a pitch which loaded the bases for Amber Paz who singled to center field for 2 RBI and left runners on the corners. A wild pitch by Smet allowed Paz to reach second and Boyer to score. Alyssa Doyle was up next as she connected for the sixth single of the inning. However, no further damage was done by Indiana State as Kolb came back into the game for Smet who replaced her just four batters earlier. She got out of the inning when Sam Markowski lined out to the shortstop.
After the Sycamores defense held the Shockers scoreless in the bottom of the sixth, Indiana State continued to dominate offensively in the final inning. With a runner on second, Simpson belted her second home run of the game over the center field fence to take a 9-7 lead. Garringer came up big with a triple, the first of her career and made it home shortly after when Armour hit a sacrifice-fly to go up by three runs at 10-7.
Wichita State could not match the Sycamores in their final at-bat as Beisser (1-1) secured the win. Beisser came into the game in the fifth inning with her Sycamores down 6-1. She gave up just one hit to the 11 batters she faced while her teammates picked up the slack offensively to win the three-game series for the second straight year.
All but two people on the Sycamore's batting lineup tallied at least one hit. Simpson, Garringer, Armour, and Kestner all had a multi-hit game with Simpson leading the way with two hits and three RBI that included two home runs. Armour and Paz also registered two RBI.
The Sycamores will play a doubleheader on Wednesday, March 18, at Dayton University beginning at 2:00 p.m. EST.
Indiana State will begin the home portion of their schedule when they host Missouri State in a three-game MVC series matchup this upcoming weekend. On Saturday, the Sycamores and Bears will play a single game at 2:00 p.m. They will conclude the series on Sunday with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. EST.
