McLean County Times

Illinois State University’s softball team secured a spot in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) semifinals after defeating Missouri State on Thursday. The Redbirds, seeded fourth, established an early 6-0 lead within two innings against the fifth-seeded Bears. Despite a comeback attempt by Missouri State, which reduced the deficit to one run by the sixth inning, Illinois State held firm to claim victory.

The Redbirds' offensive lineup featured notable performances. Delainey Bryant went 3-for-4 with two runs, while Abby Knight contributed with two hits and a run. Julia Larson and Addison Masching also made key contributions with hits and RBIs.

In pitching, Hannah Meshnick started for Illinois State, recording five strikeouts over 5.1 innings but allowing five earned runs. Paige McLeod provided relief in the final stages of the game, preventing any further scoring from Missouri State with three strikeouts over 1.2 innings.

The match began with Illinois State quickly scoring three runs in the first inning through hits from Bryant and Larson and an RBI single by Adisyn Hopkins. The second inning saw their lead double following Masching's RBI single and a fielding error by Missouri State.

Missouri State attempted to rally as McKenzie Vaughan hit solo home runs in both the third and fifth innings. Alexis Perales added a two-run homer in the fifth to bring them closer at 6-4 before another run tightened Illinois State's lead to just one run in the sixth inning.

McLeod’s entry into pitching was pivotal as she secured critical outs in both the sixth and seventh innings to seal Illinois State's win.

Looking ahead, Illinois State will face top-seeded Southern Illinois on Friday at Ron Buel Field for a place in the MVC Championship final. Fans can follow live updates via StatBroadcast or stream it on ESPN+.

Updates on Illinois State Softball are available through their social media platforms including Twitter (@RedbirdsSB), Instagram (@redbirdsoftball), and Facebook (Illinois State Redbird Softball).

GoRedbirds.com provides further resources including tickets, merchandise, and multimedia content related to Illinois state athletics.