Game Notes (PDF)
Live Stream: Saturday (Gm. 1) | Saturday (Gm. 2) | Sunday
Live Stats: Saturday (Gm. 1) | Saturday (Gm. 2) | Sunday
 
CHICAGO (April 5, 2019) – The Ramblers begin another long homestand this weekend when the program welcomes Missouri Valley Conference foe Indiana State to Loyola Softball Park for a three game series. The weekend is the start of a five-game home stretch, with game one of the series representing the sixth of an 11-game spread of games within the Greater Chicago area. The weekend joust with the Sycamores is scheduled to start with a Saturday (April 6) doubleheader at noon, and end with one game the next day at 11 a.m.
 
Last Time Out: The Maroon and Gold completed their home-and-home with UIC on a high note, as the Ramblers defeated the Flames 5-1. The Ramblers got seven strong innings from Kiley Jones in the circle, while Shannon McGee and Allyson Ivey blasted back-to-back home runs in the third to power the offense. The next day has the same score, but with the Ramblers on the other end of the linescore. In a déjà vu like game on Wednesday, it was Northwestern that rode a high-scoring inning that made the difference in a 5-1 ballgame.
 
A Look at the Sycamores: Indiana State, picked to finish seventh in the Valley, enter the weekend with a 13-20 record, but are winners of its last two games after a doubleheader sweep of Eastern Illinois on April 3. The Sycamores bring a wealth of speed in the basepaths to the tune of 53 stolen bases to rank second in the MVC. Two of the everyday players have cracked doubled-digits, led by Leslie Sims' 19. Through 33 games this season, Indiana State is 10-2 when scoring at least five runs in a game.
 
Series Stuff: Loyola holds a 10-9 all-time advantage in the head-to-head series with Indiana State. Prior to Loyola's arrival in the MVC, the two programs squared off four times through the turn of the century, and once more in 2010 when the Ramblers captured a 1-0 pitcher's duel. This weekend is the two team's first meeting since last year's end-of-season clash where Indiana State took two out of three.
 
Up Next: The Ramblers wrap up the homestand with a midweek doubleheader Wednesday (April 10) against Valparaiso, set to begin at 2 p.m. The doubleheader will be paired up with Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer, with both teams wearing gold laces on their cleats in an effort to raise money toward pediatric cancer research.

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