Southern takes two from Illinois State

Friday, March 25

Carbondale, Ill.

5:00 PM

Southern Illinois University

19-8, 0

Illinois State

9-20, 0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Illinois State	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	7	2
Southern Illinois	0	0	0	3	1	0	X	4	6	1

03/25/2016 | 12:00:00 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

March 25, 2016

By John Lock
SIUSalukis.com

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CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois softball team won both ends of a doubleheader against Illinois State on Friday afternoon at Charlotte West Stadium. Brianna Jones threw her NCAA-best seventh shutout in the 1-0 opener before SIU (19-8, 4-0 MVC) used a three-run fourth inning to win the second game, 4-1.

SIU's pitching remained outstanding, surrendering only one total run in the doubleheader. Southern is 11-1 in its last 12 games, and the team ERA in that span is 0.96.

"It took me back a long time, to Cassidy (Scoggins) and Ashley (Hamby), and Cassidy and Amy (Harre)," head coach Kerri Blaylock said of today's pitching performances. "It was good to see that. They threw very well today and got us in a position to do that."

Both starting pitchers in the opener were dominant. Brianna Jones (14-3) and Regan Romshek put on a show; at one point, the pair combined to make 20 consecutive outs without allowing a base runner.

"That's how we used to play," Blaylock said. "I've been around for 26 years. That's how we used to play. There was none of this 9-8 stuff. I don't like 9-8; I like 1-0. What a pitcher's duel. (Romshek) was throwing well; our kids did what they needed to do to score. It was just a great game."

SIU managed only three hits off Romshek, but they were consecutive one-out singles in the second inning to score the game's only run. Merri Anne Patterson hit the last one to score Jessica Heese.

In the second game, Illinois State grabbed the early lead when a grounder to the left side was just weak enough to not give Kelsey Gonzalez a play. With Redbird starter Sarah Finck looking strong--she faced the minimum in the first three innings, Blaylock had a message for her team.

"I went out and said, `I believe in you, how good you are. Let's quit settling for splits, and let's do something,'" Blaylock said. "And boy, they responded."

Gonzalez opened the fourth with a single, and Shaye Harre tied the game with a two-out single. Then Heese gave SIU the lead for good with a home run, and Patterson hit a solo shot in the fifth, too.

It wasn't just offense that stepped up. Savanna Dover (4-5) was outstanding in 5.2 innings (she has an 0.75 ERA in her last four starts), and Southern didn't commit an error until the final inning of the second game and had a .982 fielding percentage on the day.

"I thought we played tremendous defense," Blaylock said. "I think (associate head coach Jen Sewell) does a phenomenal job with the scouts, getting our hitters ready. It might take us one time through the lineup, but we do great with adjustments."

Southern Illinois swept a doubleheader from Illinois State for the first time since 2008 and has an opportunity for a three-game sweep of the Redbirds for the first time since 2005. The teams play on Saturday at noon.

"We're not satisfied; we want three games," Blaylock said. "That's just our mentality right now. We want tomorrow."

NOTES: Brianna Jones shutout was her seventh this season, which is tied for the national lead...Merri Anne Patterson, who hit the go-ahead RBI single in the opener, also had the go-ahead hit in last year's win. She is hitting .286 with eight RBIs in the last 12 games...Savanna Dover's ERA in her last four starts (28.0 innings) is 0.75...SIU pitching has 163 strikeouts this year (27 games), already surpassing last year's total (48 games)...SIU is 11-1 in its last 12 games and has won seven in a row...SIU's team ERA in the last 12 games is 0.96 while hitting .288...Jessica Heese hit her third home run in the last six games; she's hitting .407 in SIU's 11-1 stretch...Blaylock noted after the game that Illinois State has the third-best strength of schedule in NCAA softball.