TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Indiana State softball moved to 5-4 on the season after splitting two games on Saturday at the Easton Bama Bash at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
 
The Sycamores fell 14-4 in five innings in an afternoon contest against No. 7 ranked Alabama but bounced back with a run-rule victory of their own with a 10-1 win over Kennesaw State in five innings Saturday night.
 
Game One
Indiana State jumped on the No. 7 ranked Crimson Tide right out of the gates, scoring two runs in the opening frame.
 
Olivia Patton singled to center on the second pitch of the game and advanced to second on an error. Danielle Henning then drove home Patton with a single to right which put the Sycamores up 1-0. After Danielle advanced to second on an error, Isabella Henning followed that up with a RBI single to put ISU up 2-0. Alabama answered quickly in the bottom half of the first, hitting a pair of two-run home runs to take a 4-2 lead after one inning.
 
The Sycamores would get a run back in the second inning as Cassie Thomerson scored on a Olivia Patton ground ball that got away from the Alabama pitcher. Thomerson's run made it a 4-3 game heading into the bottom of the second. In the bottom half of the frame, the Crimson Tide got their run back after a bases-load hit by pitch made it 5-2 after two.
 
On the first pitch of inning number three, Isabella Henning launched her first home run of the season, a solo shot, over the wall in right field to make it a 5-4 game. The Tide picked up a pair of runs in the bottom half on an inside-the-park home run to make it 7-4 after three innings of action.
 
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Alabama added three runs to extend their lead to 10-4. The Crimson Tide would get the run-rule victory in the fifth inning after a three-run blast to left center ended the game 14-4.
 
ISU finished with seven hits including a 3-3 afternoon by Isabella Henning and a two-hit game from Kennedy Shade.
 
Lauren Sackett, Lyndsi Adamson and Hailey Griffin all appeared in the circle for Indiana State.
 
Game Two
In the nightcap of Saturday's games, Indiana State would overcome their afternoon loss to the Crimson Tide.
 
With the game tied 0-0 heading into the top of the third, the Sycamores would explode for a nine-run inning.
 
Isabella Henning led off the inning and reached on a hit by pitch followed by a Annie Tokarek walk. After a Kennesaw State pitching change, TeAnn Bringle started the scoring party with a RBI double to left field to score Henning.
 
With the Sycamores leading 1-0, Cassie Thomerson picked up a sacrifice fly with a fly ball to center field, allowing Tokarek to score as well as Bringle who scored from second after an Owls miscue in the outfield.
 
Kaylee Barrett drew a walk followed by the first career hit for Luci Kapelka to bring Livi Colip to the plate with a 3-0 ISU lead. Colip delivered a RBI single to left for her first career hit to extend the Sycamore lead to four.
 
Danielle Henning kept the offense going with a double to left which scored Morgan Goodrich who had entered as a pinch runner, making it a 5-0 game.
 
Isabella Henning took a hit by pitch to load the bases with two outs in the inning. Down 1-2 in the count, Annie Tokarek would pick up a RBI on another hit by pitch to make it 6-0 in favor of Indiana State.
 
After the second pitching change of the inning for the Owls, TeAnn Bringle delivered her second double of the inning, clearing the bases to cap the nine-run third inning.
 
The Sycamore offense did not slow down, picking up another run in the top of the fourth. Kaylee Barrett led the inning off with a double to right field and would score on an Olivia Patton single to put Indiana State up 10-1 after four innings of play.
 
Indiana State starter Cassi Newbanks went four innings, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out three. Lauren Sackett replaced her for the fifth and final inning, striking out three and clinching the run-rule win for the Sycamores. Newbanks picks up the win and improves to 1-3 on the season.
 
Three Sycamores finished with multi-hit games as Olivia Patton (2), Danielle Henning (2) and TeAnn Bringle (3) helped lead the ISU offense.
 
With the win, ISU completes a two-game sweep of Kennesaw State across the weekend and brings the all-time series to 3-2 in favor of the Owls.
 
Up Next
Indiana State will conclude play at the Easton Bama Bash on Sunday morning with an 11:30 a.m. ET first pitch against Southeastern Louisiana.

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.