Southern Illinois University
37-15
Arizona St.
33-14
Salukis upset bid of Sun Devils comes up just short
05/21/2021 | 3:04:00 | Softball
TEMPE, Ariz. — The Southern Illinois University softball team answered adversity's call all night in its opening game of the Tempe Regional but came up just short in its upset bid of the 15th-seeded Arizona State Sun Devils, as the hosts used a three-run fifth inning to seal a 7-4 win Friday night inside Farrington Stadium.
"I'm as proud of this group as I am of any group that I've ever coached in my 32 years of coaching," head coach Kerri Blaylock said. "We were playing a PAC-12 team that is the 15th seed in the tournament and is a phenomenally coached team and the way that we fought it showed that this stage wasn't too big for them. We wanted everyone in the country to see what Saluki softball is all about. We're fighters, we're grinders and we showed that tonight."
The Salukis found themselves in an early hole, as Arizona State took advantage of an unusually tight strike zone. Home plate umpire, Jason Smith, issued walks to Arizona State's first four batters to load the bases with one out in the first. Five of ASU's first six batters reached via walks and coupled with a double from ASU's five hole hitter Yannira Acuna spelled an early 3-0 deficit for the upset-minded Salukis. To make matters more difficult, Blaylock, knowing starting pitcher Sarah Harness had only walked more than two batters in six of her 49 previous appearances, confronted Smith at the end of the first and despite the warranted argument, was immediate ejected for arguing balls and strikes.
Harness was called for a career-high six walks before being pulled after two innings. Carlee Jo Clark and Madi Eberle kept the Salukis in the game out of relief thanks in part to some terrific defense to back them. After the Salukis got a run back in the top half of the third thanks to Aubree DePron, who led off the frame with a single and later came around to score on a wild pitch, Southern's defense went to work. Maris Boelens made a diving catch in center for the first out of the frame, and one pitch later, Clark snagged a line drive and fired to first to turn a double play and get SIU out of the frame unscathed.
With rain starting to fall in Tempe for the first time in weeks, the Salukis put the Sun Devils back on their heels in the fourth inning. Sidney Sikes was hit with a pitch and DePron reached on an error by ASU's first baseman to set the table for All-Region honoree Maddy Vermejan. Vermejan smoked a 2-0 pitch over the fence in right center to tie the contest 4-all and silence the Sun Devil faithful.
In the fifth, Southern's defense got Clark out of a jam. After a one-out double by ASU's Kindra Hackbarth, Jazmine Hill singled to center field that Boelens over-ran slightly. She made a great recovery though, and threw a strike to Jenny Jansen. Jansen took care of the rest, as she threw a laser to Katelyn Massa, who applied a near perfect tag for the inning's second out. A tapper back to Clark got SIU out of trouble in the fifth.
With momentum on the 2021 MVC Champions side, Southern missed a chance to land a decisive blow in the fifth after Massa advanced to second on a one-out single thanks to an error by ASU's centerfielder. Elizabeth Warwick drew a two-out walk to put two runners on but ASU got a pop up to get out of it. The Sun Devils took advantage, as they used three hits and three walks, two of which were hit by pitches, to plate a trio of runs in the bottom half of the frame.
Vermejan (1-for-3, 1 HR, 3 RBIs), Boelens (1-for-4), Massa (1-for-3) and DePron (1-for-3, 2 runs scored) all tallied a hit in the contest, while Jansen, Elisabeth Huckleberry, Elizabeth Warwick and Sidney Sikes each reached base once.
Eberle took the loss but allowed just one earned run on three hits in an inning and two thirds of work.
Southern will face BYU in an elimination game tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. The winner of that game will play the loser of Virginia Tech vs. Arizona State at 6 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lopez, Lindsay (16-0)
L: Eberle, Madi (9-7)
Batting:
HR: Vermejan, Maddy 1
RBI: Vermejan, Maddy 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Vermejan, Maddy 1 ; Wernig, Meredith 1 ; DePron, Aubree 2
HBP: Huckleberry, Elisabeth 1 ; Sikes, Sidney 1
Batting:
2B: Hackbarth, Kindra 1 ; Acuna, Yannira 1
RBI: Hackbarth, Kindra 1 ; Torres, Alynah 1 ; Acuna, Yannira 2 ; Chatman, Denae 1 ; Loomis, Bella 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Hill, Jazmine 2 ; Hackbarth, Maddi 1 ; Torres, Alynah 1 ; Harper, Makenna 1 ; Chatman, Denae 1 ; Price, Savannah 1
SB: Hill, Jazmine 2
HBP: Braswell, Harleigh 2 ; Acuna, Yannira 1
PO: Hackbarth, Kindra 1
