Southern Illinois University
17-7, 5-0
Creighton
11-13, 2-3
Softball cruises past Bluejays in Saturday doubleheader sweep
03/24/2012 | 12:00:00 | Softball
March 24, 2012
By Megan Kramper
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Taylor Orsburn hit her first home runs of the season and went 7-for-7 on the day as she fueled the Southern Illinois softball team to wins over Creighton Saturday at Charlotte West Stadium.
The Salukis (17-7, 5-0 MVC) dominated at the plate as they blew past the Bluejays (11-13, 2-3 MVC) in 10-4 and 17-8 wins to start the Missouri Valley Conference season off with five straight wins.
"They are good and I said this morning they could be the best offensive team I've coached and what they do is allow us chances to win," SIU head coach Kerri Blaylock said.
The Dawgs combined for 27 runs, 28 hits, and 13 walks on the afternoon as they flexed their offensive muscle against the second-best hitting team in the league.
Both teams came out swinging, as Creighton took early leads in both games but their leads didn't last long as Southern found its rhythm at the plate in later innings.
In game one, the Bluejays put up four runs before the Dawgs could answer in the bottom of the second when Orsburn put up her first home run of the season, a solo shot, to start the inning as the Dawgs eventually ran away with a 10-4 victory.
Orsburn, the Salukis' first baseman, was back at it again in the third when she launched her second home run, a two-run shot that tied the game.
A big fifth inning put the game out of reach for the Salukis, who scored five runs off four hits including back-to-back hits by Orsburn and Meredith Wilson to kick start the inning.
The Bluejays were held scoreless the rest of the game as SIU scored in every inning except one to seal the win.
Wilson went 2-for-3 while Haley Gorman and Kelsea Ashton added two hits apiece while Mallory Duran-Sellers had a single and drew two walks.
Alyssa Wunderlich threw another spectacular game as she came in relief of starter Brittney Lang in the third to hold the Bluejays scoreless for the remainder of the game.
The Naperville, Ill. native allowed just two hits in three and two-thirds innings pitched improving to 7-1 overall and 2-0 in MVC action. Lang added three strikeouts in the game before she was replaced.
"Different pitchers are stepping up at different times for us and today was Alyssa's day," Blaylock said.
It was the same story on offense for the Salukis in game two as Jayna Spivey hit a game-ending three-run home run in the sixth as they issued a 17-8 run-rule win.
Creighton took an early lead with two runs in the first, but SIU answered right back in the bottom of the inning with five runs including back-to-back hits from Orsburn and Spivey.
The two teams battled most of the game as they exchanged one run apiece in the second and the Bluejays added three runs in the fourth to take over the lead.
A big fourth inning by Southern pushed seven runs across the plate, with solo RBI hits from Duran-Sellers, Ashton, Gorman, and Wilson. Allie VadeBoncouer added two RBI on a single and the Salukis would capitalize on an error to send another run home.
Spivey came out swinging in the sixth as she put the nail in the coffin for the Bluejays, capitalizing with two runners on base for her fourth long ball of the season issuing the run-rule.
Eight hitters in the Salukis lineup put the ball into play with Wilson and Orsburn both going 3-for-3. Orsburn completed the day going 7-for-7 at the plate with a double, two home runs, and drew two walks. She held a 2.000 slugging percentage and earned 14 total bases.
Designated player Alicia Junker went 3-for-4 and VadeBoncouer added a 2-for-2 performance while Duran-Sellers added two hits to highlight the Dawgs in game two.
Brittney Lang picked up the win coming in relief for starter Katie Bertelsen, who struck out two in the effort. Lang worked one and a third inning moving her to 4-3 overall and 2-0 in conference action.
"We feel really good about our kids and feel good about how they battled today and I've been talking to the senior captains a lot and told them how I wanted them to act and we know we are going to have to slug it out with some people and I'm OK with that," Blaylock said.
The Salukis look for the second conference series sweep of the season as they face the Bluejays tomorrow for the series finale at Charlotte West Stadium. First pitch is slated for noon.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lang, Brittney (4-3)
L: Snygg, Sammy (3-3)
Batting:
2B: Mathewson, Allie 1 ; Lingl, Bri 1 ; Baker, Amy 1 ; Ruf, Christa 1
HR: Cantu, Alexis 1 ; Dike, Liz 1
RBI: Homan, Ellen 1 ; Mathewson, Allie 1 ; Lingl, Bri 1 ; Cantu, Alexis 2 ; Baker, Amy 1 ; Dike, Liz 1
SH: Lingl, Bri 1 ; Dike, Liz 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Homan, Ellen 2 ; Mathewson, Allie 2 ; Cantu, Alexis 1 ; Flodman, Taylor 1 ; Dike, Liz 1 ; Ruf, Christa 1
Batting:
2B: Duran-Sellers, Mallory 1 ; Spivey, Jayna 1 ; Junker, Alicia 1
HR: Spivey, Jayna 1
RBI: Duran-Sellers, Mallory 1 ; Ashton, Kelsea 1 ; Gorman, Haley 1 ; VadeBoncouer, Allie 2 ; Orsburn, Taylor 2 ; Spivey, Jayna 5 ; Wilson, Meredith 3 ; Junker, Alicia 1
SH: Ashton, Kelsea 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Duran-Sellers, Mallory 3 ; Ashton, Kelsea 1 ; Gorman, Haley 1 ; VadeBoncouer, Allie 2 ; Kimball, Kara 1 ; Orsburn, Taylor 3 ; Spivey, Jayna 2 ; Barchan, Morgan 2 ; Junker, Alicia 1 ; Harker, Kalyn 1
HBP: VadeBoncouer, Allie 1
