NORMAL — A stirring comeback victory in the opener of a pivotal Missouri Valley Conference softball series had Illinois State thinking sweep Saturday at Marian Kneer Stadium.
Northern Iowa quickly shot down those ideas.
The Panthers used a seven-run fourth inning to down the Redbirds, 9-1, in a run-rule game halted after five innings. The split left ISU (28-8 overall, 14-4 MVC) still ahead of the Panthers (26-17, 16-7) in the league standings with an 11 a.m. series finale looming Sunday.
"I thought (UNI's Kailyn) Packard threw a pretty good game, but I haven't seen that team all year," said ISU head coach Melinda Fischer of her squad.