Southern Illinois University
15-0
Ball State University
5-8
Salukis improve to 16-0 with two wins on day one of Blazer Classic
03/12/2021 | 9:51:00 | Softball
SIU's 25-game win streak is the longest in school history and is second to No. 1 Oklahoma for longest active win streak in the nation.
The Southern Illinois University softball team extended their program-record win streak to 25 games with a pair of victories Friday on day one of the Blazer Classic, hosted by the University of Alabama-Birmingham. Southern thumped Ball State, 7-1 before it took down UAB, 6-1, in the nightcap.
SIU improved to 16-0 with the two victories and Southern's 25-game win streak is second to only No. 1 Oklahoma for the longest win streak in the country. The Salukis and the Sooners, meanwhile, remain the only two programs in the nation with double-digit wins without a los
Southern played well in all facets of the game on Friday. SIU's hitters totaled 14 hits and drew an astounding 18 walks, while its defense turned four total double plays to help Southern's pitchers surrender just two runs over 14 innings of work.
"I thought in the first game we came out and we were good in the circle, played solid defense and it was a good overall performance," head coach Kerri Blaylock said. "In game two, we faced Oklahoma transfer Parker Conrad, who is a good pitcher that throws the ball hard. I thought our kids did a good job of putting together quality at-bats, our defense was fantastic and all three of our pitchers threw solid innings. All in all, it was a good show."Â
In the win over Ball State, Southern did a bulk of its work with two outs. SIU scored five of its seven runs and was 6-for-13 at the plate with two outs. The Salukis also drew a season-high 12 walks.
"Jen Sewell does such a good job with our hitters and making sure that we've got the right approach at the plate and that we are getting our pitches to hit," Blaylock said. "We didn't swing at things we shouldn't and we were locked in. I'm super impressed with our approach."
Maddy Vermejan led off the first with a walk and Jenny Jansen brought her around to score with RBI-single in the first. Jansen later scored on a wild pitch to stake SIU to a 2-0 lead.
Ball State cut Southern's lead in half in the top of the third, as it used a leadoff single and a two-out double to make it 2-1.
Southern caught two-out lightning in the bottom of the fourth, as Bailey Caylor started it off with a walk. Vermejan followed with her second home run of the season to put SIU ahead 4-1.
SIU blew the game open in the fifth when it again caught two-out lightning. SIU used an Elisabeth Huckleberry double and back-to-back walks to load the bases for Maris Boelens, who drew a third-straight walk to drive a runner in. Caylor scored on a wild pitch and Jansen crushed her second RBI-single to put Southern ahead 7-1.
Six different Salukis tallied at least one hit in the win, which included two with multiple hits. Caylor notched her fourth multi-hit game of the season as she went 2-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored while Jansen went 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBI.
"You look at how many different lineups we've used, and every kid has stepped up," Blaylock said. "We played five freshmen tonight. They've all settled in, they are taking it one game at a time and working to play well."
Harness went the distance in game one and allowed one run on six hits- of which five were singles. She struck out five and walked just one to improve to 7-0 on the season.
In SIU's victory over the Blazers, Southern went 4-for-6 with a runner at third and allowed just eight hits- of which one went for extra bases. Defensively, Southern turned two double plays.
The Salukis scored a bulk of their runs courtesy of a four-run second. The Salukis used a UAB error and back-to-back walks to load the bases with one out in the frame. Vermejan brought two in with a single and Boelens followed with a RBI-single of her own. Jansen drove in the fourth run of the inning with a sacrifice fly.
Carlee Jo Clark got the start in the circle and went two innings before handing the ball to Madi Eberle. Eberle allowed just one run on five hits in three and two-third innings before a comebacker ended her night. The Gibson City, Ill. native improved to 6-0 with the win in relief. Harness came on and retired the four batters she faced to seal the win.Â
"All three of our pitchers threw well today," Blaylock said. "Carlee was throwing well against UAB but I just felt like we needed to make a change. Madi was strong in relief and Sarah had another quality start. I feel really confident in all of them."
Vermejan and Boelens were each 2-for-4 with two RBI in the win over the Blazers. Jansen was 0-for-1 with two walks and two RBI while Caylor went 1-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored.
The Salukis have a quick turnaround tomorrow as they play Samford at 10 a.m. before taking on UAB again at 3 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Harness, Sarah (7-0)
L: JONES, Deborah (1-2)
Batting:
2B: LISSY, Kayla 1
RBI: LISSY, Kayla 1
Base Running:
RUNS: DANIEL, Amaia 1
SB: DANIEL, Amaia 1
Batting:
2B: Huckleberry, Elisabeth 1
HR: Vermejan, Maddy 1
RBI: Vermejan, Maddy 2 ; Jansen, Jenny 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Vermejan, Maddy 3 ; Jansen, Jenny 1 ; Huckleberry, Elisabeth 1 ; Caylor, Bailey 2
SB: Jansen, Jenny 1
CS: DePron, Aubree 1
HBP: Vermejan, Maddy 2
