Southern Illinois University
15-3
Western Illinois
4-10
No. 18 Softball rolls past Western Illinois 10-2
03/08/2009 | 12:00:00 | Softball
March 8, 2009
By Kyle Herm
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - No. 18 Southern Illinois (15-3) scored seven runs on seven hits in the bottom of the fifth inning to beat Western Illinois 10-2 in the final game of the Coach B Classic on Sunday.
After rain earlier in the day cancelled SIU's first game against Wisconsin, the Salukis created an offensive storm in the bottom of the fifth to finish-off the Westerwinds in five innings.
The final score however was not indicative to how the game played out through the first four and a half innings.
Southern held a 3-0 lead, but WIU cut into its deficit with a run in the fourth and fifth innings to tighten the game, 3-2.
Western Illinois (4-10) also had a chance to take the lead in the fifth with runners on second and third, but sophomore Danielle Glosson retired the only batter she faced in relief of starter Nikki Waters to preserve SIU's narrow one-run lead.
The Salukis went on to bat around through the order in the fifth with hits by Katie Wilson, Katie Wagner, Haley Gorman, Alicia Garza, Chelsea Held and a single and double by Katie Schmidt to put the game away.
"I thought we were good offensively all day, but we just didn't execute early on," said head coach Kerri Blaylock. "For the most part though we were locked in on our at-bats and I was happy about that."
Gorman tied a career-high with three hits in the game and Held tied a career-best with three RBI.
Freshman Mallory Duran also continued her impressive on-base streak to all 18 games started with a walk in her final at-bat.
Waters improved to 5-1 with the win and struck out seven of the first nine batters in the first three innings.
"Nikki (Waters) did a great job and started off very well," Blaylock said. "I thought she might get a little tired as the game went on because she had thrown so many innings, but I was really proud of her."
Glosson also earned her first-career save after holding WIU in the fifth.
SIU's first three runs in the third came from on a two-RBI single to right field by Held, and Schmidt drove in a run after reaching on an error.
Held's two-hit finale to the homestand wrapped up a stellar week for the Anderson, Ind. sophomore.
She hit two home runs, had seven RBI and scored three runs to lead SIU's offense.
"She's allowed me to challenge her because I got on to her for not swinging the bat," Blaylock said. "The thing I like though is that she (Held) responded."
The team set a new season high with 12 hits, which was the most since recording 11 against Austin Peay at the Bulldog Bash on Feb. 15.
Southern Illinois will take to the road to open Missouri Valley Conference play with a 3 p.m. doubleheader at Evansville this Wednesday, March 11.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Waters, Nikki (5-1)
L: Ferguson (2-5)
S: Glosson, Danielle (1)
Batting:
2B: DePolo 1
RBI: Goss 1
SF: Goss 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Biebel 1 ; Campbell 1
SB: Furgala 1
Batting:
2B: Schmidt, Katie 1 ; Wilson, Katie 1
RBI: Gorman, Haley 1 ; Garza, Alicia 2 ; Held, Chelsea 3 ; Schmidt, Katie 2 ; Wagner, Katie 1 ; Junker, Alicia 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gorman, Haley 2 ; Duran, Mallory 1 ; Garza, Alicia 2 ; Held, Chelsea 1 ; Wilson, Katie 1 ; Wagner, Katie 1 ; Petty, Chelsea 1 ; Junker, Alicia 1
SB: Garza, Alicia 1 ; Schmidt, Katie 1
CS: Wilson, Katie 1
HBP: Junker, Alicia 1
