No. 24 Softball splits Saturday's doubleheader at Creighton

April 18, 2009

By Kyle Herm
www.SIUSalukis.com

OMAHA, Neb. - The 24th-ranked Saluki softball team (26-9, 10-4) split Saturday's doubleheader at rival Creighton (25-12, 13-4) losing 5-0 before winning game two 3-2 at the CU Sports Complex.

Two-time MVC Pitcher of the Year Tara Oltman set the Creighton school record for career wins (77) with her first career no-hitter in the series opener, but Southern Illinois battled back to beat the tough junior hurler 3-2 in the nightcap.

"I thought Oltman did a fantastic job against us in the first game because she's very smart and throws to her strengths," said head coach Kerri Blaylock. "Then we did a better job in the second game, hitting a big home run and Schmidty (Katie Schmidt) hitting the ball over first base to score two. We did a much better job doing what we could to get on base."

The Salukis were only able to get two base runners and were no-hit for the first time since 2005 in the opener, but made adjustments to score three runs on five hits with multiple scoring chances in game two.

Sophomore Danielle Glosson gave up four runs, three earned, in five innings to take the loss in game one, before sophomore Nikki Waters threw a complete-game four-hitter with three strikeouts to pick up win No. 11.

"We talked about what we had to do to be successful against them after the first game, and Nikki (Waters) really gave us a lift," Blaylock said. "She understood what we needed her to do and hit her spots."

Waters came two outs away from a complete-game shutout until Sara Loeffelholz put Creighton on the board with a two-run home run in the seventh.

Junior Katie Wilson provided the team's first run of the day on a solo home run in the fifth, and senior Katie Schmidt came through with two insurance runs in the seventh with a clutch two-out, two-RBI single to right field to help SIU even the series 1-1.

Southern will look to win the series in the finale on Sunday starting at noon.

"We just have to go in and compete, because we probably know what we'll see again," Blaylock said. "We have to be ready because it's a tough team and a tough place to play, but we just have to go and compete."

Game One - Creighton 5 #24 Southern Illinois 0
Southern Illinois failed to record a hit in a game for the first time since being no-hit by Missouri on May 21, 2005 en route to a series-opening 5-0 loss.

SIU managed only two base runners via a walk and hit batter against junior starter Tara Oltman, who won her 20th game of the season in a complete-game, no-hit performance.

Creighton also scored three of its five runs on three home runs in the game, including two by junior first baseman Renae Sinkler.

Saluki sophomore starter Danielle Glosson retired the first two batters of the game before Sinkler hit a line-drive two-out solo home run to left field to give the Bluejays a 1-0 lead in the first.

It was the first home run allowed in Southern's last five MVC games, and proved to be the eventual game-winner.

The Salukis struck out eight times, and failed to come through with a runner on second in the second inning and runner on first in the fourth inning.

SIU stayed within striking distance though down only 1-0 until Creighton broke open the game with a run in the fifth and three in the sixth.

With runners on first and third and two outs, Creighton used a decoy steal attempt at second to allow Liz McKewon to scoot home from third and go up 2 -0.

Then in the sixth, Michelle Koch drilled a leadoff double to right-center field and Sinkler followed with her second home run of the game to give the Bluejays a 4-0 advantage.

Senior Katie McNamara replaced starter Danielle Glosson, and Michelle Graner immediately hit a home run to left field to cap-off the three-run inning and make the final 5-0.

It was McNamara's first run allowed in league play, totaling 24 1/3 innings this season, and the loss snapped SIU's seven-game Valley win streak.

Game Two - #24 Southern Illinois 3 Creighton 2
The Salukis, backed by a solid pitching performance from sophomore Nikki Waters, tagged Oltman with three runs to win game two 3-2.

Southern Illinois resiliently piled on nine base runners in the first four innings until finally cracking the scoreboard in the fifth.

With one out in the top of the fifth, junior outfielder Katie Wilson clubbed a 1-2 pitch over the left-field fence to give SIU its first lead of the day 1-0.

It was Wilson's third home run of the season, and could not have come at a better time after the team failed to capitalize on a bases-loaded situation in the fourth.

Conversely, Waters and the Saluki defense kept Creighton from scoring with three straight steller plays to end an inning.

Freshman Haley Gorman turned an inning-ending double play on a caught line drive in the third and snagged an inning-ending line drive with a Bluejay on third base, and sophomore Chelsea Held finished off the fifth with a highlight reel diving catch in centerfield.

Still leading only 1-0, senior outfielder Katie Schmidt gave Waters a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh.

With runners on second and third and two outs, Schmidt chopped a two-RBI single over the head of Creighton first baseman Renae Sinkler to give the Salukis a 3-0 lead.

The runs proved to be crucial after what transpired in the bottom of the seventh.

Waters, who had been tremendous through the first six innings, walked her first batter in the final frame and Sara Loeffelholz followed with a two-run home run to right-center field to cut SIU's lead down to one 3-2.

Waters proceeded to get back-to-back groundouts through to preserve the win, and break the team's seven-game losing streak to the Bluejays.

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Chelsea Held

Haley Gorman

Katie Wilson

Katie Schmidt

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Danielle Glosson

Haley Gorman

Chelsea Held

Katie Wilson

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