Southern Illinois University
20-14, 9-6
Bradley University
18-18, 6-7
Salukis drop two to Braves
04/15/2022 | 10:23:00 | Softball
The Southern Illinois University softball team dropped a pair of Missouri Valley Conference games to Bradley on Friday, as the Salukis fell 5-4 in the opener and suffered a 3-2 defeat to the Braves in the nightcap.
Bradley rallied late in each of its two wins. The Braves scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh of game one to force extras and won the game with a RBI-single in the eighth. In game two, Southern plated two runs in the top of the first and led 2-1 until the Braves used a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to steal the win.
In game one, Bradley strung together four runs on four hits, capped off by Cameron Monteer's bases-clearing triple, to erase SIU's 4-0 lead and send the game to extras. After Southern couldn't take advantage of Jenny Jansen's leadoff single to start the eighth inning, Bradley used a leadoff walk coupled with an error and a single to plate the game's winning run. In game two, SIU held onto a one-run lead until the sixth when Addie Welsh hit a two-out, two-run home run to put the Braves ahead for good.Â
In the series opener, Southern got on the board first in the top of the second on a RBI-double by Elizabeth Warwick. The Salukis added to their lead in the top of the sixth after they batted around. Southern sent nine batters to the plate and pushed across three runs on two hits and four walks.
SIU starting pitcher Sarah Harness allowed just four hits through six innings but ran into trouble in the seventh. A pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases for the Braves with two outs and Monteer made it hurt with her aforementioned triple. Lucy Mead followed with a RBI-single to send the game to extras.
Harness took the loss in the circle. She threw seven and one-third innings and allowed five earned runs on nine hits. Jenny Jansen was 2-for-4 while Warwick went 2-for-4 with a double and 2 RBI.Â
In the nightcap, Southern again struck first thanks to a two-run single by Sidney Sikes. The Braves got a run back in the bottom-half of the frame after it used a leadoff triple and a sacrifice fly to cut its deficit to one.Â
The two sides traded zeros from there until the bottom of the sixth when Welsh's home run gave the Braves the lead.
Madi Eberle took the tough luck loss. She allowed just three earned runs on six hits and struck out four. Five different Salukis recorded a hit in the loss. Both Jansen (25 games) and Sikes (15) extended their career-best reached base streaks by reaching safely at least once in each of SIU's two games Friday.Â
The series finale between the Braves and the Salukis is set for Saturday, April 16 at Noon.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: French, Grace (6-8)
L: Harness, Sarah (13-8)
Batting:
2B: Warwick, Elizabeth 1
RBI: Schullian, Tori 1 ; Warwick, Elizabeth 2 ; Huckleberry, Elisabeth 1
SH: Sikes, Sidney 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hamilton, Rylie 1 ; Jansen, Jenny 2 ; Scroggins, Chloe 1
SB: DePron, Aubree 1
HBP: Sikes, Sidney 1 ; Schullian, Tori 1
Batting:
2B: Monteer, Camryn 1 ; French, Grace 1
3B: Monteer, Camryn 1
RBI: Monteer, Camryn 3 ; Mead, Lucy 1 ; Welsh, Addie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Monteer, Camryn 1 ; Smith, Samantha 1 ; Welsh, Addie 1 ; Tyler, Abigail 1 ; Bradley, Olivia 1
