McLean County Times

Sunday's softball game concluded with a thrilling victory for Illinois State University against the University of Northern Iowa at Marian Kneer Stadium. Illinois State Redbirds, holding a season record of 20-28 and 13-10 in the MVC, secured a 5-4 win on Senior Day through a decisive RBI single by Bella Atkinson, leaving the Panthers with a 28-17, 16-8 MVC record.

During the game, Illinois State saw notable offensive contributions. Addison Masching went 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs, Bella Atkinson was 2-for-4 with 1 RBI, Abby Knight was 3-for-4 with 2 runs and 1 double, Tatum Wolford went 3-for-4 with 1 run and 1 RBI, and Julia Larson was 1-for-4 with 1 RBI. Pitching for the Redbirds, Hannah Meshnick earned the win with a performance of 7 innings, allowing 6 hits, 4 runs, all earned, alongside 6 walks and 3 strikeouts.

The Panthers took an early lead with three runs in the first inning, but Redbirds began their comeback with an RBI single by Masching. They further closed the gap in the second inning with an RBI single from Wolford. The turning point came in the fourth inning when Knight scored from an outfield error, tying the game 3-3. The lead was extended with Masching's sacrifice fly, making it 4-3.

UNI levelled the score in the sixth inning, bringing the game to a 4-4 tie. The Redbirds sealed their win at the bottom of the seventh. Masching's single led the inning and she was substituted by Abby Horton. Horton advanced to second with help from Adisyn Hopkins, who was also replaced by Marissa Moffett for running. Ella Boyer's sacrifice bunt advanced the runners, setting the stage for Atkinson's decisive hit that secured the victory.

The Redbirds are scheduled to continue their game against UIC, which was previously postponed due to rain, on April 30 at 4 p.m. at Marian Kneer Stadium.

Further updates on the Illinois State Softball team can be found on their Twitter (@RedbirdsSB), Instagram (@redbirdsoftball), and Facebook pages. Fans can also visit GoRedbirds.com and use the Illinois State Redbirds App for information on tickets, athletic fund contributions, multimedia, and merchandise.