Southern Illinois University
33-18
Missouri State
22-30
SIU beats Missouri State, advances to MVC Tournament semifinal
05/13/2016 | 12:00:00 | Softball
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois softball team beat Missouri State 4-3 on Friday morning in the MVC Tournament quarterfinal. SIU, the No. 4 seed in the tournament, advances to to face No. 1 seed Wichita State in the tournament semifinal at 4 p.m. CT on Friday, May 13.
Kelsey Gonzalez led off the game with a single, and Shaye Harre gave the Salukis (33-18) an early lead with a two-out RBI double.
The Salukis added three more runs in the second inning. After two quick outs, Jessa Thomas singled, and Savannah Fisher followed with a two-run homer to extend SIU's lead to 3-0. Kelsey Gonzalez drew a walk and scored on Eyrika Brandenburg's double. SIU didn't score the rest of the way, but the four-run cushion was just enough for SIU starter Brianna Jones.
Jones (23-11) allowed only three runs (two earned) in her complete game. All those runs came in the fourth inning. After that, Jones allowed only one base runner and held the Lady Bears to 0-for-10 from the plate. She retired the side in order in the seventh to preserve SIU's first MVC Tournament win since 2013.
Fans are encouraged to come out to Charlotte West Stadium at 4 p.m. and cheer on the Salukis vs. the top-seeded Shockers. The winner of the SIU-Wichita State game advances to Saturday's 1 p.m. Championship Game. In the regular season, the teams split two games in Wichita.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Jones, Brianna (23-11)
L: Kaitlin Beason (8-10)
Batting:
RBI: Hailee Vigneaux 1 ; Erika Zimmer 1
SH: Erin Duewel 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Elena Gambill 1 ; Hailee Vigneaux 1 ; Erika Zimmer 1
SB: Olivia Roark 1 ; Kyana Mason 1 ; Hailee Vigneaux 1 ; Erika Zimmer 1
Batting:
2B: Brandenburg, Eyrika 1 ; Harre, Shaye 1
HR: Fisher, Savannah 1
RBI: Brandenburg, Eyrika 1 ; Harre, Shaye 1 ; Fisher, Savannah 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Gonzalez, Kelsey 1 ; Brandenburg, Eyrika 1 ; Thomas, Jessa 1 ; Fisher, Savannah 1
