Southern Illinois University
19-6, 4-3
Evansville
5-17, 0-6
No. 25 Softball escapes Evansville with doubleheader sweep
03/24/2009 | 12:00:00 | Softball
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
March 24, 2009
By Kyle Herm
www.SIUSalukis.com
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Late-inning heroics helped the 25th-ranked Saluki softball team (20-6, 5-3) win a pair of nail biters at Evansville (5-18, 0-8) on a warm and windy Tuesday afternoon at Cooper Stadium.
Southern Illinois scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning to win a tight pitcher's duel in the opener, before senior catcher Jayme Wamsley blasted a game-winning solo home run in the top of the seventh to take the nightcap 5-4.
"We made a few base running mistakes in the first game and then gave back a four-run lead in the second which was frustrating," said head coach Kerri Blaylock. "It goes to show you no lead is safe in the Valley (MVC), especially when you make mistakes."
The Salukis tied a season-high with three errors and gave up the largest lead of the season in the second game.
"We just have to play better defense, and have good approaches in all parts of the game," Blaylock said. "In the end though I'm very thankful we got two wins today."
Sophomore pitcher Nikki Waters won both games in two relief appearances to improve to 8-1 and sophomore Chelsea Held went a combined 4-for-7 with two runs and a double to continue her offensive onslaught.
Southern Illinois will return home on Wednesday, March 25 for a single non-conference game against Eastern Illinois at 4 p.m. at Charlotte West Stadium.
Game One - #25 Southern Illinois 3 Evansville 0
Held lined a single up the middle to score freshman Mallory Duran to break up a scoreless game in the top of the eighth inning for the go-head and eventual game-winning run.
It took SIU until the eighth inning to come through, after having a base runner reach second in three of the first seven innings.
Senior Katie Wagner followed with a bases-loaded, two-RBI single to right field for a 3-0 lead and some insurance in the extra frame.
Waters closed out the game in the bottom of the eighth with a strikeout and two fly outs to secure the win.
The Hixson, Tenn. native was rock-solid in three innings of relief and single-handedly kept the Salukis alive in the sixth.
SIU starter Katie McNamara, who had only given up two hits through the first five innings, allowed a lead-off walk, infield bunt single and hit a batter to load the bases with no outs.
Waters entered for the senior and in a cool, calm and collective manner retired three straight Purple Aces to get out of the jam.
The shutout win was the pitching staff's 10th of the season, which already eclipsed last year's total of nine.
Evansville's freshman starter Kylie Wagner took the loss after holding SIU in check through 7 1/3 innings.
McNamara finished with six strikeouts in five strong innings to run her consecutive scoreless streak in MVC play to 23 2/3 innings.
Game Two - #25 Southern Illinois 5 Evansville 4
Senior catcher Jayme Wamsley stroked a two-out, solo home run in the top of the seventh inning to lift the Salukis over Evansville 5-4 in the nightcap.
Wamsley finished the game with a season-high three hits - none bigger than her second homer of the season to cap off the doubleheader sweep.
"I think she's figuring out that if she has a good approach she has the capability of doing those kind of things," Blaylock said. "I just thought she was ready to do something the way her eyes looked at me with a 3-1 count. She was very confident looking and when she's playing like that she's a great hitter."
The late-inning home run gave the Salukis the lead back after they squandered a 4-0 advantage.
Southern built its lead with three runs in the top of the first off Evansville's Annie Vincelett.
Held scored from third on a bad throw by UE's first baseman Allison Aguilera after freshman Haley Gorman reached on a fielder's choice.
The errant throw home was the first of seven fielding errors combined by both teams in the game.
Wamsley followed with a two-out, two-RBI single to right field to put the Salukis up 3-0.
SIU increased its lead to 4-0 in the third when freshman pinch runner Courtney Kennedy scored from third after Mallory Duran reached on a shortstop error.
Just when Southern looked to be in total control, Evansville came back though with two runs in the bottom half of the third due in large part from three Saluki errors.
With runners on second and third from two fielding mishaps, Kristen Shirk had a RBI grounded out and Jennifer Stahlhut doubled to right-center for Evansville's first two runs.
The Purple Aces added two more runs in the fifth on a solo home run by Krista Price off SIU starter Danielle Glosson, and RBI single by game one starting pitcher Wagner off Waters to tie the game 4-4.
Southern stranded nine runners in the game, but came through when it mattered the most to continue its win streak to three games.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Waters, Nikki (7-1)
L: Wagner,Kylie (2-7)
Batting:
2B: Held, Chelsea 1 ; Garza, Alicia 1
RBI: Held, Chelsea 1 ; Wagner, Katie 2
SH: Gorman, Haley 1 ; Wilson, Katie 1 ; Schmidt, Katie 1 ; Wamsley, Jayme 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Held, Chelsea 1 ; Garza, Alicia 1 ; Duran, Mallory 1
CS: Held, Chelsea 1
Base Running:
SB: Price,Krista 1
HBP: Shirk,Kristen 1
