Saturday, February 8
Columbia, SC
3 p.m. ET
Southern Illinois University
0-1
1
at
11
University of South Carolina
3-0
1
2
3
4
5
R
H
E
Southern Illinois
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
South Carolina
0
9
2
0
X
11
12
0
Saluki Softball opens season with losses to South Carolina and Ohio State
02/08/2020 | 9:15:00 | Softball
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Southern Illinois University softball team fell to No. 19/21 South Carolina, 11-1, and Ohio State, 5-0, to open the 2020 season on Saturday at the Carolina Classic.
"South Carolina will no doubt finish near the top of the SEC standings and Ohio State is also a very good team," 21st-year head coach Kerri Blaylock said. "We went out and played with great effort and there were many bright spots of good things to come. Last year, we went 0-2 on day one as well. We are still young in some spots, but we are going to figure it out. I like our team. I like their presence. We just have to get everyone going. I am excited to see where we go in the future."
GAME ONE: SC 11, SIU 1 (5 innings)
Tournament host and nationally ranked South Carolina (3-0) exploded to an early 11-0 lead with nine runs in the second inning and two in the third. The outcome was too much to overcome for the Salukis, as they scored their lone run of the game in the top of the fifth.
Southern threatened to take the lead in the opening frame after drawing a pair of walks, but failed to score with runners on first and third with one out.
Senior pitcher Claire Miller (0-1) earned the Opening Day start and lasted 1.1 innings in the circle. She started strong with a one-two-three first inning and two strikeouts, but allowed six runs on six hits and one hit by pitch in the second.
Freshman Carlee Jo Clark made her first-career appearance as a Saluki in relief for Miller and went the rest of the way. In 2.2 innings of work, she allowed five runs — four earned — on seven hits. She managed to retire her last five batters faced.
"I really feel like Carlee Jo came in and threw some good innings in game one", Blaylock said.
Gamecock starting pitcher Kelsey Oh (2-0) limited SIU to one hit in four innings. Megan Brown collected Southern's lone hit in the fifth, which led to pinch runner Aubree DePron coming around to score off a sac fly from Kyleigh Decker.
SIU also reached base five times on walks. Three walks came in the fifth inning, which led to a bases-loaded, two-out situation for Jenny Jansen. She hit a deep fly ball to center field, just feet shy of the fence for the final out.
GAME TWO: OSU 5, SIU 0
Freshman hurler Sarah Harness (0-1) pitched a complete game in SIU's 5-0 loss to Ohio State (2-1). She allowed five earned on nine hits while walking two and striking out four. Harness held the Buckeyes in check for the majority of the game, but was tagged for a pair of runs twice.
"I thought Sarah was really good for it being her first game against a team of Ohio State's caliber," Blaylock said. "She knows the pitches they hit were missed pitches. They were not hitting her best stuff. They took advantage of those pitches because they are a good team."
The Buckeyes first struck in the third with three-straight hits, which resulted in a 2-0 deficit for SIU. The OSU lead extended to 4-0 in the fifth with RBIs off a groundout and double.
The Salukis were once again limited offensively, as OSU pitcher Payton Buresch (1-1) pitched a one-hit shutout. Susie Baranski led Southern with a single and walk.
"Our offense will get going," Blaylock said. "I am not worried about that. We faced quality pitchers and they did a good job of limiting us."
NEXT UP
Saluki Softball is set for a 10 a.m. ET matchup against 2019 NCAA Tournament participant North Dakota State tomorrow at Beckham Field for its final game at the Carolina Classic. The Salukis defeated the Bison, 0-9 in a slugfest in Puerto Vallerta, Mexico a year ago.
"South Carolina will no doubt finish near the top of the SEC standings and Ohio State is also a very good team," 21st-year head coach Kerri Blaylock said. "We went out and played with great effort and there were many bright spots of good things to come. Last year, we went 0-2 on day one as well. We are still young in some spots, but we are going to figure it out. I like our team. I like their presence. We just have to get everyone going. I am excited to see where we go in the future."
GAME ONE: SC 11, SIU 1 (5 innings)
Tournament host and nationally ranked South Carolina (3-0) exploded to an early 11-0 lead with nine runs in the second inning and two in the third. The outcome was too much to overcome for the Salukis, as they scored their lone run of the game in the top of the fifth.
Southern threatened to take the lead in the opening frame after drawing a pair of walks, but failed to score with runners on first and third with one out.
Senior pitcher Claire Miller (0-1) earned the Opening Day start and lasted 1.1 innings in the circle. She started strong with a one-two-three first inning and two strikeouts, but allowed six runs on six hits and one hit by pitch in the second.
Freshman Carlee Jo Clark made her first-career appearance as a Saluki in relief for Miller and went the rest of the way. In 2.2 innings of work, she allowed five runs — four earned — on seven hits. She managed to retire her last five batters faced.
"I really feel like Carlee Jo came in and threw some good innings in game one", Blaylock said.
Gamecock starting pitcher Kelsey Oh (2-0) limited SIU to one hit in four innings. Megan Brown collected Southern's lone hit in the fifth, which led to pinch runner Aubree DePron coming around to score off a sac fly from Kyleigh Decker.
SIU also reached base five times on walks. Three walks came in the fifth inning, which led to a bases-loaded, two-out situation for Jenny Jansen. She hit a deep fly ball to center field, just feet shy of the fence for the final out.
GAME TWO: OSU 5, SIU 0
Freshman hurler Sarah Harness (0-1) pitched a complete game in SIU's 5-0 loss to Ohio State (2-1). She allowed five earned on nine hits while walking two and striking out four. Harness held the Buckeyes in check for the majority of the game, but was tagged for a pair of runs twice.
"I thought Sarah was really good for it being her first game against a team of Ohio State's caliber," Blaylock said. "She knows the pitches they hit were missed pitches. They were not hitting her best stuff. They took advantage of those pitches because they are a good team."
The Buckeyes first struck in the third with three-straight hits, which resulted in a 2-0 deficit for SIU. The OSU lead extended to 4-0 in the fifth with RBIs off a groundout and double.
The Salukis were once again limited offensively, as OSU pitcher Payton Buresch (1-1) pitched a one-hit shutout. Susie Baranski led Southern with a single and walk.
"Our offense will get going," Blaylock said. "I am not worried about that. We faced quality pitchers and they did a good job of limiting us."
NEXT UP
Saluki Softball is set for a 10 a.m. ET matchup against 2019 NCAA Tournament participant North Dakota State tomorrow at Beckham Field for its final game at the Carolina Classic. The Salukis defeated the Bison, 0-9 in a slugfest in Puerto Vallerta, Mexico a year ago.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Buresch, Payton (1-1)
L: Harness, Sarah (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Otte, Meg 1 ; Prange, Ashley 1 ; Coffman, Kaitlyn 1 ; Pack, Taylor 1
RBI: Otte, Meg 1 ; Prange, Ashley 1 ; Coffman, Kaitlyn 1 ; Carver, Niki 1 ; Pack, Taylor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Otte, Meg 1 ; Prange, Ashley 2 ; Farrah, Andi 1 ; Cortelletti, Tegan 1
SB: Farrah, Andi 1 ; Cortelletti, Tegan 1
HBP: Clark, Avery 1
Game Leaders
AB
1
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
3b/cf
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
UT/P
/ Softball
P/IF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballIF/OF
/ Softball
P
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