#25 Softball splits twinbill with Illinois State

Saturday, April 1

Carbondale, Ill.

12:00 PM

Southern Illinois University

22-4, 6-1

Illinois State

18-5, 7-2

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Illinois State	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	3	0
Southern Illinois	0	0	0	3	0	0	X	3	7	1

04/01/2006 | 12:00:00 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

April 1, 2006

Box Score

By Matt Crouch
www.siusalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill - The #25 Southern Illinois University softball team (22-5, 6-2 MVC) split its doubleheader Saturday with Missouri Valley Conference rival Illinois State (19-9, 8-2 MVC), taking the first game 3-2 before falling in the second game, 8-6.

"When you're down five to nothing and come back to a team of that caliber and you come back and make it a ballgame is really something," said SIU Head Coach Kerri Blaylock on her team's near comeback performance in the second game of the doubleheader.

"I think we played with a lot of heart and guts. We played two great games and just didn't come out a winner with the second one."

The Salukis jumped out to an early lead in Game 1, scoring three runs in the fourth inning. SIU then held on to win the pitchers' duel, 3-2.

If the first game was a pitchers' duel, then the second game was definitely a hitting duel as the Salukis and Redbirds combined to get 17 hits in the game. Illinois State scored seven of its eight runs in the first two innings, enough to hold off SIU and defeat the Salukis, 8-6.

The loss is SIU's first this season at Charlotte West Stadium.

The three-game MVC series will wrap up Sunday, April 2 with a single game at 12 p.m. at Charlotte West Stadium.

"You always want to win the series; it is taking care of the games that you need to take care of," said Blaylock "We need to come out and be ready to win tomorrow or I will be aggravated at the kids, but I think we will come out and be ready to play."

Game 1: SIU - 3, ILS - 2
Both SIU and Illinois State gave their top pitchers the start in the first game of the series, and it showed. Junior Cassidy Scoggins received the nod from Blaylock while Stacy Birk came out in the circle for the Redbirds.

Neither team was able to mount much offensively in the first three innings. Illinois State picked up a hit in the first inning as Southern Illinois picked up one of its own in the second inning.

The fourth inning saw the first runs of the game go on the scoreboard. With two outs and Alex Pepin pinch running for Lauren Haas, the Salukis rattled off four straight singles to take the 3-0 lead.

Pepin scored the first run, coming in on a Becky Wegmann single. Wegmann and Lauren Roney then scored on a single by Krystal Stein.

Stein and Roney were the only Salukis with multiple hits in the game. Stein went 2-for-2 with a walk in the game while Roney was 2-for-3.

The Redbirds tried to charge back into the game in the sixth inning, posting two runs of its own, but SIU was able to keep them at bay and come away with the 3-2 lead.

Illinois State's two sixth-inning runs came from a home run by Amber Smith, her 10th of the season. The home run was also the first given up by Scoggins this season.

Scoggins improved her record to 14-4 with the win. For the fourth time this season, Scoggins tallied double-digit strikeouts, finishing the game with 10. She gave up only three hits in the game and two runs, both earned.

Birk took the loss for Illinois State, dropping her record to 9-4. She also struck out 10 batters in the complete-game appearance, giving up seven hits and three earned runs.

Game 2: SIU - 6, ILS - 8
The second game of the doubleheader went in a completely different direction than the first as both teams were able to put runs on the board in the first inning.

Illinois State led off the first inning with three straight doubles, scoring two runs right away. The Redbirds would utilize one more hit and an error by SIU's Wegmann to put three more runs on the board and take a 5-0 lead heading into the bottom of the first.

The Salukis countered with three hits of their own, two of them doubles by Katie Louis and Samantha Carter, to cut the lead to 5-2.

Carter scored SIU's first run of the game, crossing the plate after Louis' double. Louis was able to come in and score on the very next play, posting SIU's second run after Roney's single to center field.

The Redbirds came back out in the second inning ready to pick up where they left off in the first inning. Randi Patton led off the inning with a single up the middle and was then joined on base by Amber Smith after she was hit by a pitch.

Saluki starter Ashley Hamby was pulled after hitting Smith and was replaced by freshman Katie McNamara. McNamara faced four batters and though she picked up the first out of the inning, Patton and Smith were both able to score and extend the lead to 7-2.

With one out and the bases loaded, Scoggins was tapped to come in for McNamara. She struck out the next two batters to end the inning with SIU at a five-run disadvantage.

Scoggins continued her excellent pitching performance, holding the Redbirds scoreless in the third, fourth and fifth innings.

The Salukis cut into the Illinois State lead a little more in the bottom of the third inning as SIU was able to wear down Redbird starter Shannon Nicholson.

With two outs and Tiffanie Dismore on second, Nicholson walked Louis and Roney to load the bases. Dismore then scored on a wild pitch by Nicholson and Louis and Roney were both able to score on Wegmann's single to left-center field, cutting the Redbird lead to 7-5.

Birk, who took the loss for Illinois State in the first game, then came in to relieve Nicholson and finish out the game.

Illinois State extended its lead to 8-5 in the top of the sixth inning as Smith scored again on a sacrifice fly by Casey Gorrell.

The Salukis tried to mount a comeback in the bottom of the seventh inning, something that they have done several times this season.

SIU started off the seventh inning with two base hits, scoring a run. Chelsea Petty got on base with a single and was replaced by pinch-runner Katie Schmidt. Schmidt was able to score on a double by Louis, her second of the game.

But, Birk and the Redbird defense were able to get the next three outs and come away with the 8-6 win.

Though Nicholson got the start, Birk was awarded the win for the Redbirds. Both pitchers had two strikeouts and two walks given up. Nicholson gave up five hits and five runs in her 2.2 innings in the circle, while Birk gave up four hits and one run in her 4.1 innings.

Hamby takes the loss for SIU, her first in almost two years. She gave up five hits and seven runs, five earned, in her one inning in the circle, also giving up two walks.

McNamara faced four batters, giving up one hit.

Scoggins led the failed comeback charge for the Salukis. She struck out seven batters in her 5.2 innings, giving up two hits, one run and two walks.