University of Northern Iowa
28-16, 16-7
Illinois State
19-28, 12-10
Panther softball secures series win over Illinois State with a 12-4 run-rule victory
4/26/2025 4:11:00 PM | Softball
UNI softball run rules Illinois State in an offensive masterclass.
NORMAL, Ill. — The UNI Panther softball team continued their strong weekend with a 12-4 run-rule win over Illinois State in six innings on Saturday afternoon at Marian Kneer Stadium. After a thrilling 9-8 victory in Friday's series opener, the Panthers' offense exploded once again to lock up the series ahead of Sunday's finale.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Drew Hinrichs opened the scoring early with an RBI single to bring home Kylee Sanders, and Kate Lappe followed with a three-run home run - her 16th of the season - scoring Addison McElrath and Hinrichs to give UNI a fast 4-0 lead.
Illinois State responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first, but the Panthers continued to pull away in the second inning. Paige Peterson delivered an RBI single to score Ava Smithson, followed by a run-scoring single from Addison McElrath. Sanders and Makenna Kuper both came home on an Illinois State error, and Adalyn Reynolds scored on an RBI double from Katelyn Callahan to stretch the UNI advantage.
After a scoreless third inning for both sides, UNI added to its lead in the fourth. Kate Lappe drove in another run with a sacrifice fly, scoring Sanders to make it 10-3.
In the top of the sixth, the Panthers struck again. With two outs, Katelyn Callahan delivered her second RBI double of the game, bringing home Sanders and McElrath to trigger the eight-run rule.
Illinois State managed to scratch across one run in the bottom of the sixth but couldn't extend the game, as UNI secured the 12-4 victory in six innings.
BY THE NUMBERS
Kylee Sanders and Katelyn Callahan finished with a pair of hits apiece in the contest while Kate Lappe led the matchup with four RBIs including a home run. Kylee Sanders' stolen base in the top of the sixth inning tied the team for the single-season record of 90 stolen bases which was set in 2023. Carly Goodwin recorded the second complete game of her collegiate career with six innings against the Redbirds. The freshman punched out two batters.
UP NEXT
The Panthers and Redbirds will conclude their three-game series on Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m. CT at Marian Kneer Stadium. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
UNI softball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Softball), X (@UNISoftball), and on Instagram (@unisoftball). The 2025 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Goodwin, Carly (5-2)
L: McLeod, Paige (4-10)
Batting:
2B: Callahan, Katelyn 1 ; Smithson, Ava 1
HR: Lappe, Kate 1
RBI: McElrath, Addison 1 ; Hinrichs, Drew 2 ; Lappe, Kate 4 ; Callahan, Katelyn 3 ; Peterson, Paige 1
SF: Lappe, Kate 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sanders, Kylee 4 ; McElrath, Addison 2 ; Kuper, Makenna 1 ; Hinrichs, Drew 1 ; Reynolds, Adalyn 1 ; Lappe, Kate 1 ; Smithson, Ava 1 ; Peterson, Paige 1
SB: Sanders, Kylee 1
Batting:
2B: Larson, Julia 1 ; Hopkins, Adisyn 1
RBI: Larson, Julia 1 ; Hopkins, Adisyn 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Bryant, Delainey 1 ; Knight, Abby 1 ; Wolford, Tatum 1 ; Larson, Julia 1
HBP: Wolford, Tatum 1
