Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Waters nearly perfect in softball sweep of SEMO
09/26/2008 | 12:00:00 | Softball
Sept. 26, 2008
By Kyle Herm
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Saluki softball team used a combination of stellar defense, timely hitting and solid pitching to sweep both games of Friday's doubleheader at home against Southeast Missouri to conclude the fall exhibition season.
Southern Illinois did not allow a run in either of the two games, and sophomore pitcher Nikki Waters came one out away from throwing a perfect game in the 6-0 nightcap victory.
SIU defeated SEMO, 2-0, in the opener behind a complete-game four-hitter from sophomore hurler Danielle Glosson, which set the stage for an equally thrilling pitching performance by Waters
The Hixson, Tenn. native had Southeast Missouri down to it's last out in the top of the seventh inning, before catcher Alex Ramirez roped a double into the right-center gap to break up the no-hitter and perfect game.
In all, Glosson and Waters combined to only allow five hits with 13 strikeouts in 14 innings on the evening.
Southern Illinois picked up a RBI in the bottom of the first and third innings from senior Katie Wagner and junior Alicia Garza, which was all Glosson needed to earn her second win of the fall.
The second game remained scoreless until SIU broke the tie in the bottom of the fifth on a RBI single by freshman Mallory Duran. Duran drove in fellow freshman Alicia Junker, who led off with a double to start the inning.
SIU piled on five more runs on six hits in the bottom of the sixth to secure a much for comfortable lead for Waters. Wagner ignited the rally with a bases-loaded three-RBI double, and Garza and sophomore Chelsea Held ripped back-to-back RBI doubles to cap off the five-run inning.
The Saluki offense received a big lift in game two from a trio of freshman. Junker, Duran and Haley Gorman went 7-for-9 combined with three runs scored, and Held also went 2-for-2 with two walks.
Held and Gorman led the team in hitting during the fall with a .478 and .462 batting average, and Wagner recorded an impressive 11 RBI, four doubles and two triples in just eight games.
Waters finished the fall with a 3-1 record, and miniscule .27 earned run average in 26 1/3 innings, to lead the way in the circle.
Southern Illinois finished the fall season with a 5-3 record is well on it's way to an exciting spring season, which opens in Palm Springs, Calif. at the Cathedral City Kick-off Feb. 6-8, 2009.
