CONWAY, Ark. – It was an exciting first day of action in Conway, Arkansas, on Friday at the Milisa Moore/Shane Lamb Tournament hosted by Central Arkansas, with runs a plenty in all three games. Illinois State suffered a 12-4 defeat at the hand of Omaha in its first game of the day, but the Redbird bats were hot in their second game of the day against the host Bears as they collected a season-high 12 hits and scored a season best 10 runs to pick up a 10-7 win in game two at Farris Field.

BIRDS BITS (Game 1 vs. Omaha)

Offensive Highlights: 
Abby Knight: 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 2B, 2 RBI
Adisyn Hopkins: 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Julia Larson: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Pitching Breakdown:
Hannah Meshnick (L, 3-6): 3.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO
Paige McLeod: 4.0 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO

HOW IT HAPPENED
Omaha got out to a quick lead, scoring three runs on four hits in the top of the first inning. However, the Redbirds got one of those runs back in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI double by Abby Knight that scored Delainey Bryant to make it 3-1. The Mavericks would get three more runs in the top of the third inning to extend their lead to 6-1, but the Redbirds answered with three of their own to make the score 6-4. ISU received RBI doubles from Hopkins, Knight and Larson to trim Omaha's lead. That would be as close as the Redbirds would get, as the Mavericks tacked on two in the fifth, three in the sixth and one in the seventh to pick up a 12-4 win.

BIRDS BITS (Game 2 vs. Central Arkansas)

Offensive Highlights: 
Addison Masching: 4-for-4, 2 R, 1 RBI
Bella Wilkerson: 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 RBI
Delainey Bryant: 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Abby Knight: 1-for-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 RBI

Pitching Breakdown:
Hannah Meeks (W, 3-2): 6.2 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 4 BB, 1 K
Hannah Meshnick: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

HOW IT HAPPENED
After two scoreless frames to start the contest, the Redbirds took an early lead with a pair of runs in the top of the third inning thanks to a 2-run home run off the bat of Bryant, her second of the year. However, the Bears answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 3-2 lead after three innings of play. ISU then tacked on two more runs in the top of the fourth inning on a leadoff homer by Knight and an RBI single by Wilkerson to regain the lead at 4-3. Central Arkansas would then take the lead back at 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth inning, but once again Illinois State had an answer as the Birds scored four runs in the top of the sixth to blow the game open at 8-5. ISU would add two more runs in the top of the seventh inning to make it 10-5 and UCA tried to make a comeback in the bottom of the seventh with two runs, but Meshnick came on in relief and shut down the Bears for the 10-7 win for ISU.

ON DECK
Illinois State will have two more games on the second day of the Milisa Moore/Shane Lamb Tournament on Saturday, with the first scheduled for 11 a.m. CT against Omaha and the second game following at 4 p.m. CT against host Central Arkansas. 

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