Southern Illinois University
Evansville
Softball Suffers Late-Game Loss to Evansville, 3-2
04/03/2002 | 12:00:00 | Softball
April 3, 2002
Evansville, Ind. - The University of Evansville scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to overcome a two-run deficit and defeat Southern Illinois (19-11, 6-3) by a score of 3-2 tonight in Missouri Valley Conference action at Cooper Stadium. With the win, the Purple Aces gained sole possession of second place in the Valley.
The loss marked the Salukis' second straight surrendered after holding a lead of two or more runs.
SIU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Katie Jordan sparked a two-out rally with a single to left. A Kelly Creek walk then moved Jordan over to second. With runners on first and second, Maria Damico stepped in and launched a double that bounced off the left field wall to score Jordan.
Evansville drew back-to-back walks to begin the bottom of the second, but Amy Harre calmly forced both Joni Woods and Kate Walker to ground out to first. With two away, another ground out, this time by Samantha Doner, put a halt to the UE attack as the Purple Aces came away empty stranding runners at second and third.
SIU, who had put all of its runners on base with two outs in four of the game's first five innings, did things differently in the top of the sixth. Even at 2-2 in the count, Damico blasted a lead off home run which cleared the wall in dead center to give the Dawgs a 2-0 lead. Damico's round-tripper, which marked her second of the season, was estimated at 225 feet.
Following Damico's smash, Jen Guenther flied out to right and Haley Viefhaus grounded out to pitcher Casey Clutch. A pinch-hit walk by Jami Weddle and a single by Elissa Hopkins then kept the rally alive with two away, but Adie Viefhaus hit a slow roller to Clutch for the third out of the frame.
UE's bats caught fire in the bottom of the sixth which began with a lead off walk by Emily Winters. Harre, who pitched a no-hitter through five innings, saw her no-hit bid come to an end when a triple by Haven Shank enabled Winters to score from first.
Trailing by one, a single by Brooke Luker on the next play scored Shank to knot the game at 2-2. After a SAC-bunt by Jamie Davison moved Jennifer Mann (pinch ran for Luker), Trish Wetzel hit the go-ahead single to clinch the Aces 3-2 win.
Harre went the distance for SIU falling to 10-7 on the year. In six innings pitched, she allowed three hits and struck out four batters.
Offensively, the Salukis were led by Damico who finished 2-for-3 with a home run, a double and two RBI.
Evansville's Clutch was awarded the win and moved to 9-10 on the season. After striking out two batters through six innings of work, Clutch was then replaced by Katie Markle in the seventh who struck out two of SIU's last three hitters en route to her first save.
SIU will return to action on April 6-7 for a three-game series at Southwest Missouri State beginning with a noon doubleheader on Saturday.
