Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Softball to Fight Creighton for Third Place
04/19/2002 | 12:00:00 | Softball
April 19, 2002
Carbondale, Ill. - Southern Illinois (24-13, 11-5) will play its final home games of the 2002 season this weekend when it hosts Creighton (19-22, 11-5) in a three-game series beginning tomorrow. The Salukis and Bluejays will tangle in a noon doubleheader on Saturday before concluding with a single game at noon on Sunday.
Creighton marks the third Valley team this season that SIU will battle for sole possession of one of the league's top three spots. The Salukis also fought Illinois State (March 30-31) for first place and Evansville (April 3 & 17) for second earlier this year.
You can expect this weekend's series between SIU and Creighton to feature solid pitching as right-handers Amy Harre (13-8) and Shelly Mellegaard (5-7) set to take the mound. Both pitchers, who are currently riding three-game winning streaks, have made 19 or more appearances this season.
Harre sports a stellar 0.53 ERA with 129 strikeouts in 145.1 innings, while Mellegaard holds a 2.56 ERA with 82 Ks in 90.1 innings of work. Additionally, Mellegaard went 2-0 with 15 strikeouts against SIU a year ago.
With sole possession of third place at stake, SIU heads into the weekend coming off a 2-0, 0-6 split with Evansville this past Wednesday. The Salukis are led by freshman Katie Jordan who is batting .293 with a team-best four home runs and 22 runs scored. Jordan, who had a nine-game hitting streak prior to the Salukis' 6-0 loss to the Purple Aces, also ranks among Valley leaders in both categories.
Known in the past as a team which plays its best softball towards the end of the season, Creighton has been merely on fire as of late winning eight of its last nine games. Matching SIU's 11-5 conference mark, the Bluejays are recently coming off a 5-4 extra-inning loss to Nebraska (4/16). Preseason-ranked to win the Valley's regular season title, Creighton is led by sophomore rightfielder Jenny Hunt who bats .302 with four doubles and 13 RBI.
SIU is 1-6 against Creighton under head coach Kerri Blaylock. The Salukis have fallen in their last four meetings with the Jays, including three last season.
