Softball splits doubleheader at Indiana State Saturday

Saturday, May 2

Terre Haute, Ind.

12:00 PM

Southern Illinois University

31-12, 13-7

Indiana State

18-24, 10-13

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Southern Illinois	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	6	0
Indiana State	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	4	8	2

05/02/2009 | 12:00:00 | Softball

Box Score

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

May 2, 2009

By Kyle Herm
www.SIUSalukis.com

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Saluki softball team (32-12, 14-7) split Saturday's doubleheader at Indiana State (18-25, 10-14), with an 11-inning 4-3 loss and 4-2 win at Price Field.

The Sycamores tied the first game a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh to send it into extra innings and won in the bottom of the 11th, and SIU used a four-run, three-hit top of the fifth to win game two.

Senior hurler and MVC career strikeout leader Darcy Wood pitched all 11 innings for the win in game one, and sophomore right-hander Nikki Waters tossed a four-hit gem while only giving up one earned run for her 15th win in game two.

Senior third baseman Katie Wagner and junior second baseman Alicia Garza both extended their hit streaks to four and five games respectively to lead the offense. Wagner went a combined 3-for-6 with double, and Garza had two hits and three RBI.

Southern Illinois will look for another MVC series win in the final regular season game of the year at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday at Price Field.

Game One - Indiana State 4 Southern Illinois 3
Catcher Sam Markowski hit a soft, looping, game-winning two-out RBI-single over the head of third baseman Katie Wagner to score Audrey Childress from second and lift Indiana Sate over Southern Illinois 4-3 in the bottom of the 11th inning.

The game-winning hit was only the third given up by senior Katie McNamara, who took the loss in 4 2/3 innings of relief of starter Danielle Glosson.

Senior starter Darcy Wood tossed all 11 innings and had 15 strikeouts, including the 1,000th of her career for her 11th win of the season.

The loss, in the longest game of the season, also broke a 22-game win streak against the Sycamores that dated back to 2001.

SIU had a chance to close out the game in regulation with a 3-2 lead, but Indiana State rallied to even the score in the bottom of the seventh.

Childress lined a leadoff double over the head of left fielder Katie Schmidt, and scored on a sacrifice fly by pinch-hitter Alyssa Marcum a batter later to tie the game at three.

The sacrifice fly negated a thrilling comeback by the Salukis and inning earlier in the sixth.

Trailing 2-0, SIU used a crucial Indiana State error to score three runs and take the lead.

With freshman Mallory Duran pinch running at first with two outs, freshman Haley Gorman hit a dribbler and forced an errant throw by second baseman Stephanie Robinson to keep the inning alive.

Then, with runners on the corner, junior Alicia Garza crushed a two-run double off the left field fence to tie the game, and she scored on an ensuing double by Allie Hanson to give the Salukis a 3-2 lead.

Indiana State had taken the first lead of the game in bottom of the fourth after both teams went scoreless in the first three innings. On the ninth pitch of the at-bat, Britt Boyer roped a two-RBI single to left centerfield to put the Sycamores up 2-0.

Game Two - Southern Illinois 4 Indiana State 2
SIU used a four-run, three-hit top of the fifth inning to come-from-behind to beat the Sycamores 4-2 and earn a doubleheader split.

The Salukis trailed 1-0, but started the comeback with a leadoff single by freshman Alicia Junker, who tied a career-high with a pair of hits.

Then with runners on the corner, sophomore Chelsea Held served a RBI-single to left field to even the score with no outs. Junior Alicia Garza brought home another run on a would-be sacrifice fly to right, but Indiana State's outfielder muffed the catch to continue the big inning.

SIU went on to score two more runs on a pair of sacrifice flies by junior Allie Hanson, and senior Katie Schmidt to take a 4-1 lead.

The Sycamores tried to make a comeback in the bottom half of the fifth with a RBI-double by Katie Armour, but Waters went into lock-down mode and retired six-straight batters in the final two innings to secure the win.

Waters improved to 9-0 in MVC contests, and won her 15th game overall, while Meagan McCurdy took the loss and fell to 2-6 this season.