Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
20-9, 5-1
Drake
17-11, 7-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Drake | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | X | 7 | 5 | 1 |
SIU's eight-game winning streak snapped at Drake
04/02/2016 | 12:00:00 | Softball
By John Lock
SIUSalukis.com
DES MOINES, Iowa - The Southern Illinois softball team had its eight-game winning streak snapped by Drake on Saturday afternoon, 7-1. In a battle between the two undefeated teams in the Missouri Valley Conference, Drake (17-11, 7-0 MVC) used a five-run second to get the win over SIU (20-9, 5-1 MVC).
"The true character of a team is not when you're winning eight in a row," head coach Kerri Blaylock said. "The true character of a team is when you drop one or two. We haven't lost in a while, so we have to focus and realize that we can do some good things. The Valley is a marathon. I say it every year. You just have to lock in and understand that."
In the battle between arguably the two top pitcher in the Valley, Drake's Nicole Newman got the win over SIU's Brianna Jones. Jones allowed only two earned runs, but her throwing error in the second inning started a five-run Drake rally to put some separation between the teams early. The five-run cushion was more than enough for Newman, who allowed only three hits and one run in a complete game.
"Newman threw a good game," Blaylock said. "We knew that it was probably going to be a tight game. There was an error early on that allowed the gates to open. Other than that, Bri settled down. She'll tell you it wasn't one of her best games, but she still battled. She got better as the game went along."
SIU's offense improved as the game went along, as well. Newman struck out six SIU batters in the first time through the order, but SIU battled well at the plate the next two times through. SIU forced Newman to throw more than 100 pitches and saw several would-be home runs die on the warning track against a 25-mile-per-hour winds.
"We settled in after a while, and I give our kids a lot of credit," Blaylock said. "We loaded the bases. We scored a run. We did not give in. We battled hard. I really like this team. But you know how it is. You go on the road and face a really good pitcher, and sometimes, they get you."
Jessica Heese extended her hitting streak to five games with a leadoff double in the fifth inning. She came around to score on Jessa Thomas's infield single. Caylee Cook also singled in the fifth, and Kelsey Gonzalez drew a walk to load the bases, but Newman got out of the jam to earn her 13th win of the season and diffuse any SIU rally.
After the second inning, Jones (15-4) was outstanding. Drake, who is the defending MVC regular-season champion, got only two hits and two runs the rest of the way.
SIU lost for just the second time in the last 14 games. Its season-best eight-game winning streak was snapped. SIU and Drake play a doubleheader tomorrow starting at 11 a.m. CT.
"You hate losing, but you hope that we make some adjustments and learn from it," Blaylock said.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Newman, Nicole (13-5)
L: Jones, Brianna (15-4)
Batting:
2B: Heese, Jessica 1
RBI: Thomas, Jessa 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Heese, Jessica 1
SB: Jones, Sydney 1
Batting:
3B: Wright, Kelsey 1
HR: Frank, Kennedy 1
RBI: Wright, Kelsey 2 ; Frank, Kennedy 3 ; Sowa, Megan 1
SH: Chambers, Ashlie 1 ; Jonas, Gabbie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wright, Kelsey 1 ; Frank, Kennedy 2 ; Schlotzhauer, M. 1 ; Finneran, Kaitlyn 1 ; Alexander, Tasha 1 ; Jonas, Gabbie 1
SB: Frank, Kennedy 1 ; Schlotzhauer, M. 1
HBP: Jonas, Gabbie 1
