Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Softball wraps up series in Evansville, hosts SEMO this week
04/23/2012 | 12:00:00 | Softball
April 23, 2012
By Megan Kramper
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Two midweek games await the Southern Illinois softball team as it travels to Evansville Tuesday and hosts SEMO Wednesday. Each contest is set for a single game beginning at 5 p.m.
GAME INFORMATION
Southern Illinois Salukis (30-13, 14-5 MVC) vs. Evansville Purple Aces (13-31, 4-16 MVC), SEMO Redhawks (22-25, 13-13 OVC)
Games 44-45 • Evansville, Ind. (Cooper Stadium, 5 p.m.), Charlotte West Stadium (Carbondale, Ill., 5 p.m.)
Radio: Game Central on SIUSalukis.com with Patrick Erickson (play-by-play)
Video: Live video from GoPurpleAces.com (vs. Evansville) (pay), Game Central on SIUSalukis.com (vs. SEMO) (pay)
Stats: Gametracker from SIUSalukis.com ( Evansville | SEMO)
SERIES HISTORY
All-time records
vs. Evansville
The Salukis lead the series 54-18 with a doubleheader sweep of the Purple Aces in Carbondale last Tuesday. The Salukis snuck by with a 2-1 victory with a bottom of the seventh heroics from Haley Gorman to help secure the win. SIU rebounded to run-rule in game two with a 9-1 win in six innings. The Salukis have not swept the complete three-game series since 2007.
vs. SEMO
SIU holds a 76-28-1 record against the Redhawks in the annual meeting between the two teams. The Salukis exploded for a 10-0 five inning win in Cape Girardeau, Mo., last season.
WEATHER
Tuesday: 67˚, partly cloudy
Wednesday: 79˚, mostly cloudy
ON DECK: EVANSVILLE (13-31, 4-16 MVC)
The struggling Purple Aces are sitting in last place in the conference standings heading into Tuesday's game. They haven't won a conference game since April 6 when they defeated Illinois State in game one of the three-game series. Their only two wins since April 6 have come in a doubleheader sweep of Saint Louis last Thursday. They were swept by Creighton in Omaha, Neb., in action last weekend to fall below Wichita State in the league standings. The Purple Aces are led at the plate by Kayla Fortner who holds a .370 batting average with nine doubles, a triple, four home run and 27 RBI. Evansville uses a four pitchers with Sarah Patterson anchoring the staff with a 7-15 record and 3.49 ERA. She has appeared in 28 games with 11 complete games under her belt with 100 strikeouts in 130.1 innings pitched. She shares time with Taylor Perry who holds a 3.90 ERA and 4-7 record.
ON DECK: SEMO (22-25, 13-13 OVC)
The Redhawks come to Carbondale after winning their last six of seven including a Ohio Valley Conference sweep of Tennessee Tech on senior weekend. They hold a .280 batting average led by Evan Sallis who holds a .346 average in 46 games this season. Senior Renee Kurtz leads the team with 38 RBI and five home runs. Alora Marble leads the SEMO pitching staff with a 13-12 record and 2.48 ERA. The Redhawks are currently 3-4 against MVC opponents this season with wins over Indiana State and Evansville.
HIT ME ONE MORE TIME
Not only has Allie VadeBoncouer been the Salukis go-to player in the past two weeks, she takes more hit-by-pitches than anyone else in the country. The sophomore catcher has been struck 23 times in 43 games, which leads all of Division I softball. In the past two weeks alone, she was hit by eight pitches.
WALKING THEIR WAY INTO THE RECORD BOOKS
With 193 walks on the season, the Salukis are on the verge of breaking the single-season record for walks drawn. The current record of 194 was set back in 2004 & 2005 and the Salukis are currently averaging 4.48 walks per game.
RUNNING INTO HER OWN RECORD
Senior outfielder Mallory Duran-Sellers tied her own single-season record for runs scored in game two against Drake Saturday. Duran-Sellers scored her 54th run of the season in the 13-0 win, tying her record set in 2011. Duran-Sellers is also close to setting the single-season record for walks drawn as she currently ranks third with 40 this season. In her career, Duran-Sellers has scored 155 runs scored which is four shy of tying the individual career record for runs scored set by Colleen Holloway in 1990-93.
SALUKIS AGAINST THE OVC
The Salukis have gone 3-1 against Ohio Valley Conference opponents this season. Wins over OVC schools include Austin Peay, SIU Edwardsville and Eastern Illinois. The Dawgs dropped a single game to OVC leader UT-Martin at Charlotte West on Apr. 10.
