NORMAL, Ill. – Indiana State softball fell to Illinois State 5-3 in the series opener on Saturday night at Marian Kneer Stadium.

The Sycamores (16-13, 4-3) were leading entering the bottom of the seventh but surrendered a three-run walk-off home run to Illinois State's (11-15, 2-2) Kaili Chval to give the Redbirds the series opening victory.

Indiana State collected three hits in the first inning but were unable to get a run across as both teams left runners in scoring position in the opening frame.

The Redbirds struck first in the contest, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the second on a 2-RBI single.

In the top of the third, the Sycamores cut into the Redbird lead, scoring a run after back-to-back doubles from Bella Peterson and Cassie Thomerson to make it a 2-1 game.

With two outs in the top of the fifth, Isabella Henning gave Indiana State the lead with a two-run home run. Her fith home run of the season put the Sycamores up 3-2.

After a scoreless sixth, Illinois State struck out a pair of Sycamore batters to get back in the dugout still trailing by just one run in the seventh. The Redbirds got back-to-back singles with one out in the inning to setup a three-run home run to walk-off the Sycamores.

Indiana State finished with eight hits, with a bulk of the production coming from the top of the lineup. Abi Chipps, Bella Peterson and Cassie Thomerson each had two hits apiece with Isabella Henning and Olivia Patton both collecting one. Illinois State recorded 10 hits.

In the circle for the Sycamores, Lexi Benko started and went five innings, giving up two earned runs on seven hits while striking out five batters. Cassi Newbanks threw 1 1/3 innings in relief giving up three runs on three hits and taking the loss, dropping her record to 4-5 on the season.

The series will wrap up Sunday with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. ET.

For the latest information on Sycamore Softball, be sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.