TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Mother Nature gave the Sycamores a 1 hour, 50 minute delay to ponder the final inning of the game, but the Sycamores ended up falling 3-2 to Loyola despite a late rally to ensure the Ramblers with the season series sweep.
 
Indiana State (20-26, 5-16 MVC) opened the seventh inning on a mission, with freshman Becky Malchow (2-3) kicking it off with a single off Loyola (25-20, 8-13 MVC) starter Kiley Jones (W, 17-12) into centerfield as the clouds started to roll in. With it starting to sprinkle at Price Field, senior Brooke Riemenschneider grounded out to advance Malchow to second in time for a clutch RBI double by Gabi Carter – her sixth two-bagger of the season.
 
With Brittany Whiteside pinch running and Kassie Brown (1-3) at the plate, the weather intervened. Down to a 1-2 count, lightning entered the area and ushered in the nearly two hour delay. When play resumed (after a brief downpour amid a thunderstorm cell that rolled through), Brown grounded out against new reliever Keenan Dolezal to advance Whiteside to third for Leslie Sims. The freshman popped up to the catcher, though, to end the game after three hours and 32 minutes.
 
The Sycamores opened the game strong, though, with starter Kylie Stober (L, 3-12) striking out two in the top of the first. In the bottom half, the Sycamores struck first after three Loyola errors in the inning and a single by Mary Turitto (2-3).
 
Stober held the Ramblers scoreless again in the second, but LU's Jones dug in and shut down the Sycamores until their rally in the seventh. The Ramblers got it going in the third and fourth, scoring two in the third off a deflected single off of a diving Leslie Sims' glove and then an RBI single in the fourth by Jacquelyn Murphy (1-2, RBI, BB). Pacing the Ramblers offensively was Shannon McGee (2-4, 2 2B).
 
Sycamore pitcher Kenzie Ihle, hot off an incredible 20-strikeout weekend at Evansville, came in relief of Stober, striking out three and allowing zero Rambler hits in her 3.0 innings pitched.
 
Indiana State remains at home this weekend to host Southern Illinois on Friday and Saturday. The doubleheader is scheduled for noon and 2:30 p.m. ET on Friday, with a single game slated for 11 a.m. on Saturday. Five Sycamore seniors will be honored following Game Two on Friday: Kassie Brown, Erika Crissman, Rylee Holland, Brooke Riemenschneider and Mary Turitto.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Softball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter