Southern Illinois University
35-18
Belmont
29-24
Salukis Advance to MVC Championship Game On Warwick Walk-Off
05/12/2023 | 8:46:00 | Softball
Carbondale, Ill. - The Southern Illinois Salukis advanced to the MVC Championship game with a pair of wins on Friday including a walk-off home run from All MVC First-Team honoree Elizabeth Warwick.Â
Madi Eberle got the start and threw the first three innings of the game before being replaced by Hannah Hockerman in the fourth. Hockerman held the Bruins scoreless from the fourth through sixth inning while giving up just one hit before Eberle came back out in the seventh with the Salukis leading 3-2 prior to Belmont tying it up on an error from the Salukis.Â
The Bruins tied the game at 3-3 in the top half of the seventh on a Saluki error before Warwick led off the bottom of the inning with a solo home run over the right center wall. Warwick's home run was the third of the season and her second walk-off hit at Charlotte West in as many weeks after walking off Murray State on the Salukis' Senior Day just a few weeks ago. Warwick tallied SIU's only two RBIs of the game, going two-for-four.Â
In Southern's first game of the day, the Dawgs took down Illinois State 5-1 after the Redbirds got out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. Addi Baker broke the game open for the Dawgs after a 10-pitch at-bat that ended in a two-run single to give SIU its first lead of the game. A lead that the Salukis would not give up as they went on to score three more in the top of the seventh to add some insurance to the lead.Â
Madi Eberle got the win in both games as she improved to 18-8 on the season. The Salukis will now face #5 Indiana State in the MVC Championship Game at 1 PM Saturday, May 13 at Charlotte West Stadium. SIU swept the Sycamores earlier in the season but Indiana State has been hot of late after coming off a 1-0 win over the top-seeded UNI Panthers who entered today riding an 18-game win streak.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Eberle, Madi (18-8)
L: Summers, Emma (13-15)
Batting:
2B: Ledbetter, Abi 1 ; Brown, Kailey 1
RBI: Blume, Brenna 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Ledbetter, Abi 1 ; Cockrill, Emily 1 ; Turner, Ally 1
SB: Ledbetter, Abi 1 ; Cockrill, Emily 1
HBP: Cockrill, Indy 1
Batting:
HR: Warwick, Elizabeth 1
RBI: Warwick, Elizabeth 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Warwick, Elizabeth 2 ; Austin, Emma 1 ; DePron, Aubree 1
