Salukis complete three-game sweep of Crusaders with 5-3 win on Sunday

Sunday, March 24

Carbondale, Ill.

12 p.m.

Southern Illinois University

17-9, 5-3

Valparaiso University

9-13, 1-5

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

Photo by: Will Becque

Salukis complete three-game sweep of Crusaders with 5-3 win on Sunday

03/24/2019 | 3:29:00 | Softball

Box Score

By: Will Becque, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Southern Illinois University softball team completed the three-game sweep of Missouri Valley Conference foe Valparaiso Sunday with a 5-3 win inside Charlotte West Stadium.

The Salukis led from start to finish, as they scored runs in the first, second, fifth and sixth innings and held off a late rally by the Crusaders to seal the series sweep. It was Southern's first three-game sweep of a MVC opponent this season, and its first since it swept Evansville on April 28-29, 2018.

"Sunday can be interesting every weekend because they've seen our pitchers multiple times," 20th-year head coach Kerri Blaylock said. "Sometimes its survival of the fittest. Im just proud of them that we finished it out."

After Southern went ahead 5-1 in the bottom of the sixth on a RBI-single by Nicole Johnson, Valparaiso (9-13, 1-5 MVC) used three hit by pitches and a fielder's choice to load the bases with one out in the seventh. Claire Miller came on in relief of starter Brianna Jones and traded a run for an out via a Valpo sacrifice fly. A two-out RBI-single, followed by a fourth hit batter marked the end of Miller's day as she turned it over to Holly Marousek. Marousek fought through adversity of her own, as she was called for two illegal pitches before she induced a fly ball to get out of the bases loaded jam and secure her first career save.

Jones got her third win of the series in the circle for the Salukis, as she went six and a third innings and allowed three earned runs on two hits with eight strikeouts. The win improved the three-time All-MVC first team selection to 13-6 on the season and she now has 80 career wins after the victory Sunday.

Southern manufactured a run in the home half of the first inning, as Maddy Vermejan was hit by a pitch, stole second and came all the way around to score on a RBI-single by Ashley Wood.

"Jen (Sewell) has been working with our girls at the beginning of practice on being a little smarter and taking a few bases and I thought we did a good job of that today," Blaylock said of her team's base running.

After Jones struck out the side in the top of the second, Megan Brown socked her second home run in two games- a solo shot down the left field line- to put Southern ahead by two. After the Crusaders recorded the second out of the inning, Jordan Spicer crushed a solo shot over the left field fence for her third home run of the season.

"I was kind of sitting on the middle-in part of the plate," Brown said of her home run on Sunday. "She threw me a first pitch changeup and you have to get a few swings off in every at-bat especially with being a power righty- you can't go up there and watch everything go by. So I was just telling myself the next strike is going to be middle-in and to sell out cause you can't go down looking in that situation. I just barreled it up and it just happened to fly out of the ballpark."

The Crusaders got one back in the top of the third, as a one-out double came around to score on a fielder's choice.

After a scoreless fourth for both teams, SIU used small ball to add a run in the bottom of the fifth. Spicer drew a leadoff walk and Nicole Johnson entered as her pinch runner. She was able to then go from first to third on a sacrifice bunt after she noticed no Crusaders were covering third. She came around to score after a grounder hit by Shelby Hodo forced an overthrow by Valparaiso's shortstop.

Jones retired 10-straight batters from the last out of the third through the sixth inning, which gave Southern another chance to add to its lead. After Katelyn Massa reached on an error and Brown doubled to right field, Johnson brought Massa home with a single up the middle to make it 5-1.

Valparaiso scored two runs on one hit and were hit by four pitches in the top of the seventh to get to within two, 5-3, but Marousek nailed down the save to seal the win.

The Salukis have now won four in a row and will return to Charlotte West Stadium on Wednesday, March 27 for a mid-week game against UT Martin. First pitch against the Skyhawks is set for 4 p.m.