Box Score

TEMPE, Ariz. - Competing in its final game of the Littlewood Classic, the Boston University softball team dropped an eight-inning 6-5 decision to Illinois State on Sunday morning at Arizona State's Farrington Stadium.

The Terriers (0-5) took a one-run lead in the first, sixth and eighth inning but could not hold off the Redbirds (4-6) in the loss.

Senior Emily Felbaum earned her third homer of the weekend, a two-run blast in the sixth, after tallying three total her first three seasons, while classmate Kendra Meadows recorded a pair of RBI hits to help lead the offense.

Sophomore Moriah Connolly led off the contest with a single and advanced to third following freshman Emma Wong's sacrifice bunt and sophomore Brittany Younan's single. An ISU error allowed allowed her to score. With two outs, Younan tried to reach home from second on Felbaum's single but was thrown out from left field to keep the score at 1-0.

Making her third start of the weekend, junior Lauren Hynes gave up a lead-off single, which the Redbirds converted in a run behind a sacrifice bunt, passed ball and defensive error. ISU later added an RBI single in the third and solo home run in the fifth against sophomore Makinna Akers to pull ahead, 3-1.

After stranding two runners on base in the fourth, the Terriers came roaring back in the sixth with three runs. Sophomore Gabi Martinez hit a lead-off single and then walked home on Felbaum's blast over the wall. Freshman Jilee Schanda and Meadows kept the pressure on ISU with back-to-back doubles to grab a 4-3 lead. 

Regan Romshek allowed four runs off 10 hits to the Terriers through 5.1 innings of work. McKensie Vissering relieved her in the circle and prevented anymore damage by inducing a pair of groundouts. She would collect the win by limiting BU to just one run off two hits the rest of the contest.

Down one entering the bottom of the seventh, Romshek led off with a double against Akers and would score following a sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly to even the score at 4-4.

The Terriers grabbed their final lead in the eighth using international tie-breaker rules. Felbaum was placed at second and moved to third on Schanda's sacrifice bunt. With two outs, Meadows found the gap for the 5-4 advantage. 

ISU would not be denied though, as the Redbirds used an RBI single and three walks, including one with the bases loaded, against junior Melanie Russell (0-3) to pull out the win.

BU will next take the week off and then fly south to the Texas A&M Invitational on Feb. 27-March 1 for a rematch with Illinois State and a pair of contests against both the host Aggies and Texas-San Antonio.