Recap | Salukis Open Weekend with 9-0 (5) Win Over Aces - Southern Illinois University Athletics

Carbondale, Ill. – Southern Illinois (28-8, 12-3 MVC) returned home to Kay Brechtelsbauer Field at Charlotte West Stadium Friday evening and came away with a 9-0 (5) win over Evansville.

Friday's game began a seven-game homestand for the Dawgs as they'll stay in Carbondale for the next two weekends, followed by a midweek series finale with Missouri State on Wednesday, April 25.

The game started about as well as it could for the Salukis with freshman Maddia Groff striking out the first batter of the day on three-straight pitches. Groff would go on to earn her 20^th win of the season, improving to 20-2. The lefty gave up two hits on the day with zero walks and eight strikeouts in just four innings of work.

Fellow freshman Kiana McDowell came in to finish the job in the top of the fifth and did so, only just one hit before recording the final out of the game to secure SIU's 9-0 win in the series opener.

Southern wasted no time to get on the board with three runs in the first. Batting in the leadoff spot, Jackie Lis took the first pitch saw right back up the middle for a single. Lis has now recorded a hit in 15-straight games as she went 2-for-3 in the win.

Lis's single was followed by a walk from Elizabeth Warwick and a deep fly out to right by Sidney Jones that advanced Lis to third from second. Hamilton drove in the first run of the day on a groundout to the shortstop but not before Lis was able to make it home without a throw.

Addi Baker came to the plate with a runner in scoring position and delivered with a two-run blast into right field. Baker has now homered in two-straight weekends as well as having four multi-hit games in her last five starts as she went 2-for-2 with a walk and four RBIs. Baker drove in a run in all three at-bats on the day.

Baker's RBI-single in the third made it a 4-0 nothing game as Groff continued to cruise through the Aces' lineup. After Groff struck out the side in the top of the fourth, the Saluki offense came right back out for more as they plated five runs with eight at-bats.

Following a pair of runs scored via walk and hit by pitch, Emma Austin cleared the bases with her first triple of the season with a deep fly ball into right-center field. Austin was able to make it all the way to third standing up scoring Baker, Hamilton and Jones to make it a 9-0 game in the fourth.

The win marked Southern's 12^th win in Valley action as they remain atop of the MVC standings with just 12 games left in the regular season.

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Recap | Salukis Open Weekend with 9-0 (5) Win Over Aces

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Team Stats

Emma Austin

Jackie Lis

Addi Baker

Sidney Jones

Players Mentioned

Emma Austin

Addi Baker

Maddia Groff

Sidney Jones

Jackie Lis

Kiana McDowell

Elizabeth Warwick

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