Drake’s Brynne Dordel whirled a one-hitter and struck out eight as the Bulldogs shutout Bradley and completed the series sweep.  Creighton rallied from a three-run deficit to claim a 5-3 win over Southern Illinois for its eighth-straight win and Indiana State kept the hit parade coming with an 11-run, 13-hit performance in the series finale against UNI.  Illinois State used an unearned run to clip Wichita State, 1-0, and take the series, while Missouri State swept a doubleheader from Evansville to take the set.

Missouri State 4, Evansville 1

Missouri State 5, Evansville 3

Game 1

Melissa Porche picked up the win in game one of Sunday’s doubleheader after taking the loss in Saturday’s game. Porche tossed a three-hitter against the Aces and gave up just one run in the Aces’ 4-1 loss.

The Bears got on the board first with a two-run home run in the top of the fourth inning off the bat of Ashley Knehans.

The Aces scored their lone run in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single from Kristen Shirk to score Amanda Ockomon from second base.

The Bears would get two insurance runs in the seventh on two miscues by the Aces’ defense.

Shirk led the Aces, going 1-for-1 with an RBI and a sacrifice bunt. Brittany Herald and Laura Rather also had base hits in the game.

Junior Ashley Hobbs was tagged with the loss, giving up two earned runs on four hits while striking out four.

Game 2

The Aces led for the majority of the game, but the Bears rallied for three in the seventh to push the game into extra innings, before winning 5-3 in eight innings.

Krista Price scored the first run of the game thanks to a RBI single by Herald in the bottom of the first inning.

Cassey Kemna picked up her ninth RBI of the season with a single in the fourth to score Rather.

Jacki Bradley hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the fifth to score Price to give the Aces a 3-0 lead. Bradley is now 5-for-5 with ten RBI with the bases loaded this season. Shirk was hit for the ninth time this season in the inning to set a new single-season record at UE and tie the career record of 21.

The Bears put together three runs on four hits in the seventh to send the game into extra innings. Jessie Smith led off the inning and reached on an error and then Michelle Armentrout and Ashley Knehans hit back-to-back singles to load the bases for Jenna Schwark. Schwark drove in two runs with a single, and Porche drove in the tying run with a single.

Armentrout would give the Bears a 5-3 lead with a two-run home run in the eighth to win the game.

The Aces out hit the Bears 10-8 in the game. Herald was 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Price and Rather each had two hits and scored the Aces’ three runs of the game. Shirk, Lissa Fehlman and Kemna all added hits in the game.

Porche picked up the win in relief of Lauren McGinley. Porche tossed 3.2 innings of scoreless work, giving up four hits and striking out three.

Bradley took the loss, giving up three earned runs on eight hits and pitched the complete game.

Creighton 5, Southern Illinois 3

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Creighton improved to 5-0 on its current seven-game Missouri Valley Conference road trip as the Bluejays finished off a series sweep of Southern Illinois by posting a 5-3 come-from-behind win Sunday afternoon at Charlotte West Stadium.  Bailey Dawson’s seventh-inning home run completed the comeback and moved the Jays to 35-13 overall and 13-2 in the MVC.

The Salukis (24-19, 10-7 MVC) struck first, scoring an unearned run in the first inning.  Tiffanie Dismore reached base and advanced to second on a throwing error by Bluejay third baseman Liz McKewon to start the game.  After advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt, Dismore crossed the plate on a bloop single to right field off the bat of Katie Wagner to put the Salukis up 1-0 after one.

SIU added to its lead in the second inning, as Katie Wilson led off the frame with a first-pitch double to right center field.  Wilson came around to scored when Jayme Wamsley belted a two-run home run over the center field fence to give the Salukis a 3-0 lead.

The Bluejays plated their first run of the game and collected their first hit in the top of the fourth inning.  Bailey Dawson led off the inning with a single up the middle.  With two outs she came around on a triple to center field off the bat of TJ Eadus.  Eadus smacked a hooking line drive to center which worked its way away from SIU center fielder Krystal Stein and all the way to the fence for the CU catcher’s first triple as a Bluejay.

CU tied the game with a two-run sixth inning.  Again, Dawson led off the frame with a single to center.  Renae Sinkler extended her hitting streak to 13 games with a single to left field, as CU had two hits on two pitches to start the inning.  Dawson and Sinkler moved up a base on Michelle Graner’s second sacrifice bunt of the game and the pair came around to score when Eadus ripped a double to right center to knot the game at 3-3.

Creighton completed its comeback in the seventh inning with the aid of a Saluki error to start the frame.  SIU shortstop Becky Wegmann couldn’t get the ball out of her glove, allowing Jessi Jadlowski to reach base to start the inning.  With two outs, Dawson remained hot at the plate and ripped her eighth home run of the season by barely clearing the left center field fence to give the Jays a 5-3 lead.

Oltman allowed just five hits and settled down after allowing an unearned run in the first and two more runs in the second.  She finished with eight strikeouts and one walk, along with the two earned runs to improve to 25-6 on the season.

Dawson finished 3-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored to spearhead the comeback.  Eadus finished 2-for-2 with three RBI on her two extra-base hits.

Danielle Glosson (5-7) took the loss for SIU in the circle, allowing five runs, three earned, on seven hits, while she struck out a career-high nine batters in defeat.

The Bluejays will take their eight-game winning streak to Illinois State on Monday, as the Jays and Redbirds will play a make up doubleheader in Normal at noon.

Drake 2, Bradley 0

DES MOINES, IOWA Sophomore Elena Leon (West Des Moines, Iowa) and sophomore Bridget Shields (Iowa City, Iowa) pulled off a text book squeeze play in the sixth inning to give the Drake softball team an insurance run en route to the Bulldogs completing a three game Missouri Valley Conference sweep of Bradley with a 2-0 victory at Buel Field Sunday.

Drake improved its record to 21-19 with an 11-5 MVC slate, which is the most league wins since the 2005 team went 14-14 in league play.

Freshman pitcher Brynne Dordel (Chanhassen, Minn.) improved her record to 14-7 with the win, while striking out eight batters and completing her sixth shutout of the season, which places her in the top 10 of both the single season and career leader board in shutouts.

Sophomore Carrie Hatfield (Des Moines, Iowa) drove in Leon in the second inning on a single to right field, giving Drake a 1-0 advantage.

Drake out hit the Braves, 5-1, allowing only a double in the third inning by Miriam Wegman. Bradley committed three errors in the contest.

Drake returns to action on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. hosting instate rival Iowa at Buel Field.

Illinois State 1, Wichita State 0

NORMAL, Ill. - In a classic pitcher's duel, a fourth-inning RBI sacrifice fly to left field by junior Jessie Buker was the difference, lifting the Illinois State softball team (20-17, 10-5 MVC) to a 1-0 win over Wichita State (28-21, 10-10 MVC) in the rubber match of a three-game series at the Redbird Softball Complex Sunday afternoon. Junior pitcher Amber Smith's shut out was her second win of the series, and extended her streak to 10-consecutive starts without a loss in the circle.

Illinois State played solid defense behind Smith's hurling, and fought off an important surge in just the top of the first inning. After Katie McGeeney led off the frame with a single up the middle, she was advanced to second base on a sacrifice groundout by Kara L'Hullier. Following a single by Heather Gerritse, McGeeney attempted to score from second, but was picked off at the plate on a strong throw from Buker in left field, ending the Shockers' threat.

Wichita State hurler Ashly Bright was solid in the circle in the early going, retiring the Redbirds' first nine batters in order, including six-consecutive strikeouts to begin the game. But in the bottom of the fourth inning, Kara Nelson started the inning with an infield single, and eventually advanced to second base following a passed ball. Smith's sacrifice fly to center field advanced Nelson to third base, and Buker officially manufactured the game's lone run with a sacrifice fly to left field in the ensuing at-bat.

The Shockers threatened in the top half of the fifth, putting runners at first and second base with two outs. After Smith retired WSU's Lauren Coleman and Jamie Stanclift, Kiersten Dixon singled to center field, and stole second base to get into scoring position. McGeeney followed with a walk, and in the next at-bat, Dixon attempted to steal third, but was thrown out on a play that saw four Redbird infielders assist in the putout and end the inning.

Smith allowed three base runners on two walks in the decisive top of the seventh inning, but secured two groundballs in the final two at-bats to secure the shutout. Britnee Barnett started the inning by lining out to Henderson at first base, followed by a pinch hit walk by Jessica Spencer. Another pinch hitter, Tiffany Dahlquist, walked in the ensuing at-bat, giving the Shockers runners at both first and second base with just one out.

But Stanclift followed with a ground ball to second base, and Coleman was thrown out at second base in the fielder's choice. Smith forced Dixon into a third base groundout to end the inning.

ISU returns to the diamond Monday when the Redbirds host Creighton in a make-up doubleheader.

Indiana State 11, UNI 4

TERRE HAUTE, IN – It turned out to be an incredible senior day for the Indiana State softball program as the team was down by four runs going into the fifth inning but ended up coming back to win the game 11-4 for their eighth straight victory of the 2008 season, the longest winning streak for the program since 1990.

The Panthers’ Ashley Lepley took Meagan McCurdy’s pitch over the center field fence for the first run of the day to put the visitors up by one.  Then in the third inning, UNI increased their lead by three runs off of four hits until Sycamore head coach Brenda Coldren made a pitching change and brought Katie Armour (4-8) into the circle.  Armour came into the game with one out and runners occupying all bases but was able to get the Sycamores out of the inning without letting anymore runners cross the plate. 

Down 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth, the Sycamores’ bats came to life as they plated eleven total runs in the next two innings.  Meredith Simpson doubled to left field which advanced Lindsey Starwalt to third who was on base after being hit by a pitch from UNI’s Jen Larsen.  Christina Meyers followed with an RBI single to the third baseman who was on her knees fielding the ball but could not put the tag on Simpson advancing to third as Starwalt scored her twelfth run of the season.  Katie Iocoangeli, one of three seniors, doubled to left field to plate Simpson and put Meyers at third.  Armour continued the hot hitting as she laid down a single to right scoring Meyers, advancing Iocoangeli to third, and bringing the Sycamores within one. 

After four consecutive Sycamore hits, it was time for a Panther pitching change as Sarah Bakey came into the game to replace Larsen.  Amber Paz and Leslie Fakes came in to pinch run for Iocoangeli and Armour.  Audrey Childress, who is currently ranks second on the Sycamore squad in batting average (.328), singled to bring home Paz, tie the ballgame at 4-4, and move Fakes over to second.  Both runners advanced a base due to a wild pitch from Bakey but Sam Markowski sent them both home after she hit a deep 2-RBI single to left centerfield to give the Sycamores a 6-4 lead.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Sycamores carried that momentum over to the bottom of the sixth inning where their bats remained on fire.  Fellow senior Lindsey Starwalt started off the inning by smacking a leadoff solo homerun to right centerfield, her second of the season.  With Simpson on first after being walked for the third time in the game, Iocoangeli hit her second double of the day to put runners on second and third.  Armour tacked on a double of her own as she brought in Simpson and Iocoangeli to cushion the lead for the Sycamores 9-4.

Once again, UNI made a pitching change and brought in Liz Adams to try and end the game.  Childress, who was the first batter the last time the Panthers made a pitching change, singled to left field as she did her previous at-bat to put runners on the corners.  Kelsey Anderson, the final senior on the team, hit an RBI-double to left field to score Armour, increase their lead to 10-4, and advance Childress to third.  Markowski tallied her third RBI of the day when she hit a sacrifice-fly to left field to bring home Childress for the last run of the game for a final score of 11-4.

Katie Armour picked up the win for her fourth straight pitching victory.  In the game, the Sycamores set three game highs for the season – eleven runs, eleven RBI, and six doubles are the most for the team this year. 

The Sycamores will conclude the 2008 regular season on the road with visits to IUPUI, Illinois State, Creighton, and Evansville before the MVC Tournament on May 8^th – 10^th.