NORMAL, Ill.- Indiana State closed the weekend with one of its most resilient performances of the season, rallying for a four-run seventh inning to secure a 7–6 victory on Saturday afternoon at Marian Kneer Stadium and finish the weekend on a high note.

Saturday Afternoon: Indiana State 7, Illinois State 6
Indiana State closed the weekend with its most complete offensive performance, rallying late to take a 7–6 win in Saturday's finale at Marian Kneer Stadium.

The Sycamores struck first with a four-hit opening inning, highlighted by Sophie Esposito's two-run single to right center that brought home Annie Waggoner and Addie Burns for an early 2–0 lead. Illinois State answered in the bottom half with an RBI single from Lauren Flowers, then pulled even in the fourth on a sacrifice fly from Ella Boyer.

Indiana State regained the lead in the fifth when Esposito delivered her second RBI hit of the day, scoring Ireland Riley to make it 3–2, but the Redbirds responded with a four-run surge in the bottom of the inning. Flowers connected for a three-run homer to left center, and Ava Boyer added an RBI double to push Illinois State ahead 6–3. The Sycamores refused to go away, loading the bases in the seventh before Mallory Chavez ripped a three-run double to center to tie the game.

Moments later, Lauren Marsicek delivered the decisive swing with a double to right center, scoring Chavez and completing the four-run comeback. Lauren Sackett closed out the bottom of the seventh to secure the win and help Indiana State finish the series on a high note. 

Friday Afternoon Doubleheader: Illinois State 5, Indiana State 2 (Gm 1); Illinois State 5, Indiana State 3 (Gm 2)
Indiana State dropped the opener of Friday's doubleheader as Illinois State built steady early momentum and held the Sycamores off the board until the seventh in a 5–2 final. The Redbirds struck quickly in the first inning on a solo home run from Tatum Wolford, then added single runs in each of the next two frames as Julia Larson delivered an RBI single in the second and Ava Boyer followed with a run-scoring single in the third to make it 3–0. Illinois State extended its lead in the fifth, using an RBI double from Hannah Meeks and a sacrifice fly from Wolford to push the margin to 5–0.

Indiana State continued to compete late and broke through in the seventh when Addie Burns reached on a fielder's choice, bringing home Mallory Chavez and Madison Poulson as the Sycamores capitalized on a Redbird throwing error. Despite the late push, ISU's rally came up short as Illinois State closed out the opener. 

Indiana State showed fight throughout Friday's second game but was unable to overcome Illinois State's early power as the Sycamores fell 5–3 in the nightcap. After the Redbirds opened the scoring with a solo home run from Hannah Meeks in the second, Indiana State answered in the third when Madison Poulson singled and advanced to third on an outfield error, allowing Ireland Riley to score and tie the game.

Illinois State responded quickly, using a two-run homer from Lauren Flowers in the bottom half and a two-run shot from Bella Atkinson in the fourth to build a 5–1 lead. The Sycamores continued to chip away, with Poulson driving in runs in both the fifth and seventh innings, but ISU stranded the tying run at the plate in the final frame as the Redbirds held on for the 5–3 win.

Indiana State finished the weekend with 25 hits across the three-game series, highlighted by multi-hit performances from Sophie Esposito, Morgan Goodrich, Lauren Marsicek, Addie Burns, and Annie Waggoner. The Sycamores continued to generate late offense throughout the weekend as well, producing seventh-inning runs in all three contests and showing consistent fight in each game. 

How They Scored 

Game 1 – Illinois State 5, Indiana State 2 (Friday Game 1) 

• Wolford homered to left center (1–0). 

• Larson singled down the left field line, scoring Boyer (2–0). 

• Ava Boyer singled to center, scoring Meeks (3–0). 

• Meeks doubled to right center, scoring Flowers (4–0). 

• Wolford hit a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Moffett (5–0). 

• Burns reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Chavez and Poulson (5–2). 

Game 2 – Illinois State 5, Indiana State 3 (Friday Game 2) 

• Meeks homered to right field (1–0). 

• Poulson singled and advanced to third on an error, scoring Riley (1–1). 

• Flowers homered to left field, scoring Calhoun (3–1). 

• Atkinson homered to left field, scoring Larson (5–1). 

• Poulson singled down the left field line, scoring Marsicek (5–2). 

• Poulson singled to third base, scoring Marsicek (5–3). 

Game 3 – Indiana State 7, Illinois State 6 (Saturday) 

• Esposito singled to right center, scoring Waggoner and Burns (2–0). 

• Flowers singled to right center, scoring Larson (2–1). 

• Ella Boyer hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Meeks (2–2). 

• Esposito singled to left field, scoring Riley (3–2). 

• Flowers homered to left center, scoring Atkinson and Wolford (5–3). 

• Ava Boyer doubled to left center, scoring Meshnick (6–3). 

• Chavez doubled to center field, scoring Welch, Esposito, and Goodrich (6–6). 

• Marsicek doubled to right center, scoring Chavez (7–6). 

News and Notes

• Indiana State recorded double-digit hits in the finale (12) and finished the weekend with 25 total hits. 

• Sophie Esposito posted a three-hit, three-RBI performance in Saturday's win. 

• Mallory Chavez drove in two runs across the series, including a game-tying three-run double in the finale. 

• Lauren Marsicek delivered the game-winning RBI on Saturday. 

• Lauren Sackett earned her 10th win of the season with 2.1 scoreless innings of relief in Game 3. 

• Madison Poulson recorded two RBI on Friday. 

Up Next 
Indiana State travels to Muncie, Indiana to face Ball State for a midweek matchup before continuing MVC play next weekend. First pitch is scheduled for 4 PM ET.  

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