TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Senior Mary Turitto hasn't turned away from the big moments at the plate this year and embraced it once again with two monumental hits late in the game to lift Indiana State to a walk-off 3-2 victory over Missouri State on Sunday.
 
Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth, Turitto – a native of Cottage Grove, Minn., who also had a walk-off sac fly against UNI earlier this season – opened the inning on a long solo home run to left field to knot the game 2-2, her second round-tripper of the season and sixth of her career. Turitto had gotten behind 1-2 to starting pitcher Kaitlin Beason and was nearly called out on a close ball, but she stayed locked in and took Beason's next offering over the wall to energize the Sycamores (17-19, 3-9 MVC).
 
Beason nearly no-hit the Sycamores in Game One on Saturday, but today Indiana State tagged her for six hits and two runs – the last of which was Turitto's solo shot, as Missouri State (20-13, 8-4 MVC) opted to pull her afterward.
 
"Yesterday after the game we did talk about approach, and we knew that we were good enough to compete with her," Turitto said. "With the change in approach we were attacking early in the count. She isn't big on strikeouts but she throws around the plate."
 
It appeared that the Bears had stolen the momentum right back in the top of the seventh, though, as MSU's Erika Velasquez-Zimmer took Kenzie Ihle's first pitch off the right-center wall for a triple. Ihle, who pitched her eighth complete game of the season and second of the weekend with a six-strikeout victory to improve to 13-10, settled in and threw a clutch remainder of the inning, forcing a popout and striking out two to keep the momentum on ISU's side.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, senior Erika Crissman (2-4) capitalized on that momentum with a leadoff single on a missile right up the middle. With one out, designated player Kylie Stober (1-2, RBI, SF) smacked a single through the left side to put two on. With two outs, Turitto came up to the plate for another fierce at-bat – this time against reliever Holly Kelley. Turitto fouled off three pitches after falling down 0-2 before catching one up in the zone to sail off the left field wall, easily scoring Crissman from second for the walk-off win.
 
"It was huge that we got three outs the inning before with a runner on third," Turitto said. "Just taking that momentum and using it in my at-bat was big."
 
Turitto has hit both of her home runs this season in Valley play, in which she is slugging .500.
 
"Probably the best I've felt this season," Turitto said. "I'm just focused on the little things and the things I can control, and it's making a big difference."
 
Missouri State jumped out to a 2-0 lead with one out in the first inning on a two-run double by Beason, but Ihle went on to throw 6.2 scoreless in another shutdown performance from the junior.
 
The Sycamores actually scored three unanswered with one in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings each for the win. Aside from Turitto's heroics in the final two frames, it was Gabi Carter (1-2, BB) who started off the fifth with a single into left field to set up an RBI sac fly by Stober.
 
Next, the Sycamores travel up to IPFW for a midweek contest next Wednesday (April 12) before heading out to Wichita State for a weekend series on April 14-15.
 
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.