Salukis run win streak to 14 games with wins over No. 22/24 Bulldogs and Devilettes

Calendar

Sep 21

1 PM

Softball

Jefferson College

Sep 27

1 PM

Softball

St. Charles CC

Oct 5

1 PM

Softball

Parkland College

Oct 5

3 PM

Softball

Illinois Central College

The Southern Illinois University softball team won both of its games at The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial Tournament, hosted by Mississippi State on Sunday. The Salukis hung on to defeat the No. 22/24 Mississippi State Bulldogs, 6-5 in eight innings in the opener and followed with a 5-0 win over the Mississippi Valley State Devilettes in the nightcap.

With the wins, Southern extends its win streak to 14 games and snapped Mississippi State's 17-game win streak, which was the longest in the nation heading into the weekend. The victory also marked SIU's 30th all-time win over a ranked opponent, and first since 2019 when the Salukis defeated Mississippi State, 4-1 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

"We came out with a ton of energy," head coach Kerri Blaylock said. "Maddy, Bailey and Jenny started it off in the first inning against Mississippi State and then Sarah was electric on the mound. We just kept adding on, which was great. The energy was fantastic."

Southern used timely hitting and were able to cash on its opponents miscues on Sunday. Eight of SIU's 11 runs scored were unearned, as Southern took advantage of seven errors, which included four by the Bulldogs. The Salukis also did a fantastic job of getting the lead off runner on to start each inning, as Southern's hitters got on base to lead off eight of the 14 innings that the Salukis played on Sunday.

SIU's starting pitching was stellar once again. Sarah Harness held Mississippi State's potent offense at bay through five innings but ran into trouble on her third time through the lineup. Madi Eberle came on in relief of Harness and allowed just one hit in two and a third innings of relief to earn the win in game one, while Carlee Jo Clark went the distance for the win in the nightcap. Clark extended her scoreless streak to 19 innings after she threw a five-hit shutout against the Devilettes on Sunday.

In the win over Mississippi State, Southern pushed across two runs in the top of the first and followed with a run in each of the next two innings to jump out to a 4-0 lead. Sarah Harness faced one above the minimum through four and worked around traffic in the fifth but ran into trouble and was ultimately chased in the sixth. Mississippi State rallied with a five-spot in the sixth to take a 5-4 lead.

"We have some veteran leadership- Maddy, Katelyn, Maris and Jenny- that knows what needs to get done," Blaylock said. "Our arms on the mound are young but good. When Sarah came out of the game, Madi came in and she was resilient. Gave up the home run but shut them down after that. It was an overall good game."

The Salukis answered, as Maddy Vermejan worked a six-pitch walk, advanced to second on a ground out and came around to score on a single by Jenny Jansen. Madi Eberle, who came on in relief of Harness in the sixth, sat down the heart of Mississippi State's lineup in order in the bottom of the seventh to send the game to extras. Once there, Southern plated a run in the top half of the frame on an overthrow by Mississippi State's pitcher Annie Willis that scored Ashley Wood from second and Eberle sealed the win with an eight-pitch eighth inning.

Jenny Jansen came up clutch for the Salukis all night and went 3-for-4 at the dish with a home run and three RBI. Vermejan went 1-for-2 with two walks and three runs scored while Bailey Caylor added a single and a RBI.

Eberle got the win in relief, as she threw two and a third innings and allowed just one run on one hit while striking out two and walking one.

In Southern's win over Mississippi Valley State, the Salukis used a two run second, coupled with a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth to cruise to a 5-0 victory over the Devilettes.

Sidney Sikes led off the second with a two-out single and moved to third after Elizabeth Huckleberry reached on an error. Jenna Christeson provided the two-out lightning with a double to score both runners and stake SIU to an early 2-0 lead.

In the fourth, Ashley Wood led off the inning with a triple and Tori Schullian followed with a single to bring her around to score. In the fifth, Maddy Vermejan got to third on an error by Mississippi Valley State's right fielder and Katelyn Massa brought her into score with a single to left.

Five runs were more than enough for Clark, who didn't allow a base runner until the fourth and gave up just five hits - all of which were singles. The Carol Stream, Ill. native improved to 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA on the season with the victory.

Six different Salukis recorded a hit in the win. Ashley Wood tallied her first multi-hit game of the 2021 season, as she went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a RBI.

The Salukis close out play at The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial Tournament tomorrow when they take on Stephen F. Austin at 11:30 a.m.

Calendar

Upcoming Events