CHICAGO – Indiana State put together two hard-fought games, but Loyola edged out a doubleheader sweep on Wednesday afternoon, winning 5-3 in the opener before shutting out the Sycamores 3-0 in the finale.
 
The Sycamores (18-24, 3-14 MVC) put up eight hits on Loyola (22-19, 5-12) in the first game but could never overcome a four-run first inning by the Ramblers in the 5-3 defeat. The second contest was a pitcher's duel between Kylie Stober and Loyola's Keenan Dolezal with just eight total hits in the game, but Dolezal yielded only three in the complete game shutout.
 
Indiana State will stay on the road this weekend with a series at Evansville on April 22-23.
 
Game One:
Loyola (21-19, 4-12 MVC), 5
Indiana State (18-23, 3-13 MVC), 3
WP: Kiley Jones (14-11)
LP: Kenzie Ihle (13-12)
 
ISU starter Kenzie Ihle allowed just four hits across the final five innings of play, but prior to that Loyola exploded for four runs on five hits in the bottom of the first, building a lead the Sycamores would never quite catch and taking momentum the Sycamores would never quite regain in a 5-3 defeat in the opener.
 
Loyola opened the game with a bunt single by Shannon McGee (1-3), a single into left field by Erica Nagel (1-3), a sac bunt to move them both over by Alyssa Mannucci and then three straight RBI hits by Katie Kabuske (1-2, RBI, BB), Jordyn Cordell (2-3, RBI) and Jamie O'Brien (2-3, 2B, 2 RBI).
 
The Ramblers would score just one more unearned off reliever Della Gher in the sixth off an error in centerfield.
 
Indiana State nearly matched Loyola's hit total with eight on the day, but ended up leaving nine runners on – six of which were left in scoring position.
 
Three different Sycamores recorded multiple-hit games – Leslie Sims (2-3, BB), Brooke Riemenschneider (2-4) and Mary Turitto (2-3, SF, RBI). The Sycamores got on the board in the third inning, with Riemenschneider starting a two-out rally with a single through the left side, setting the stage for a Turitto infield single that led to a run-scoring throwing error.
 
ISU started two different rallies in the sixth and seventh and scored runs in each inning. Turitto led off the sixth with an infield single and eventually scored on a Brooke Mann RBI groundout. Sims led off the seventh with a bunt single and eventually scored on an RBI sac fly by Turitto – her third sac fly of the season.
 
Shaye Barton added a double in the second inning and Erika Crissman had a single in that seventh inning rally to round out the hitting for ISU.
 
Game Two:
Loyola (22-19, 5-12 MVC), 3
Indiana State (18-24, 3-14 MVC), 0
WP: Keenan Dolezal (8-8)
LP: Kylie Stober (2-11)
 
Loyola starter Keenan Dolezal threw a gem in the second game, shutting out the Sycamores and throwing six innings of one-hit ball before Indiana State started to mount a rally in the seventh inning in ISU's 3-0 loss to the Ramblers.
 
Senior Kassie Brown had the lone hit for the Sycamores in the first six innings of play, a screaming single down the left field line with two outs in the third. In the seventh, it was Leslie Sims who started the rally again with a bunt single, followed immediately by a bunt single by Rylee Holland and a near game-tying home run by Erika Crissman that was caught on the warning track that allowed Sims to advance to third.
 
Dolezal settled in with runners on the corners, though, getting two more quick outs to second base to close out the complete-game shutout and the doubleheader sweep.
 
ISU starter Kylie Stober threw a gem as well, with the only blemish on her record today being three runs on five hits – with Loyola having to resort to the suicide squeeze bunt for two of its three runs. Stober struck out three today and walked just one.
 
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