Recap | Salukis Dominant in Sunday Sweep of Indiana State; Improve to 12-1 in Conference Play

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University softball team (20-15, 12-1) continued its strong start to Missouri Valley Conference play on Sunday, defeating Indiana State, 10-2, in game one and, 9-4, in game two of the doubleheader.

Game One: 10-2 (5) win vs. Indiana State

Inside the Box Score

The Salukis run-ruled the Sycamores, 10-2, in five innings. Southern Illinois tallied 10 hits and didn't commit an error in the win.
Freshman Emma Gipson (2-4) earned the win after allowing six hits, two earned runs, two walks, with three strikeouts across 5.0 innings pitched in the complete game.
Addi Baker led the way for SIU at the plate, going 2-2 with two home runs, five RBI, two runs scored, and one walk. Mikaela Coburn's three hits in three at bats were a team-high, while Anna Carder and Erin Lee also had multiple hits with two each.

How it Happened

A two-out, two-run double by Indiana State in the top of the first put the Sycamores ahead early, 2-0. Southern Illinois came back with a thunderous response in the bottom half of the inning, scoring five runs to go up by three.

Carder got the scoring started for SIU with an RBI single to drive in Emma Austin. After an Emily Williams sacrifice fly scored Jackie Lis, Baker crushed a three-run home run to left center to give Southern the 5-2 advantage.

Gipson settled in after allowing the two runs in the first, retiring six of the eight batters she faced in the second and third innings.

In the bottom of the third, Baker went deep for the second time in the game, drilling a two-run home run the opposite way to right field to extend the Southern lead to 7-2.

One inning later, the Southern Illinois bats kept pounding. Carder doubled to center field to score Austin, which was then followed up by a Lee RBI single to bring home Lis. Coburn finished off the scoring for the Salukis with an RBI single to make it 10-2 in favor of the hosts.

Gipson finished off the Sycamores in the top of the fifth, stranding two runners on base to secure the win for Southern.

Game Two: 9-4 win vs. Indiana State

Inside the Box Score

Southern earned the 9-4 victory after tallying 11 hits while also committing zero errors.
McKenzie Newcomb (12-5) entered the game in the top of the third and was dominant after that. Newcomb finished with a line of four hits, no runs, no walks, and had six strikeouts in 5.0 innings pitched to earn her 12th win of the season.
Four different Salukis posted two-hit days, as Austin, Carder, Williams, and Sage Grann all had multiple hits in the game. Williams hit SIU's lone home run in game two, which came in the third inning.

How it Happened

Indiana State took a quick, 1-0 lead in the opening inning but similar to game one, SIU's offense had an immediate response for the Sycamores. In the bottom of the first, the Salukis scored three runs as Austin, Lis, and pinch runner Charley Pursley all crossed home plate to give Southern a 3-1 lead.

The Sycamores went back on top in the second inning, pushing three runs past the Salukis to go up, 4-3.

Newcomb entered the game in the third after Kiana McDowell and Kaytee Dahlstrom had started the game for Southern Illinois. The senior went right to work, retiring the first three batters she went up against with two via the strikeout.

Southern put Newcomb in line for the win after scoring three runs in the bottom of the third to take a 6-4 lead. Lee hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Lis for SIU's first run in the inning.

Williams, with two outs and one runner on, drew the count full before homering to left center to push the Saluki lead to 6-4. This was the sophomore's ninth home run of the season, putting her in a tie with Lis for the most on the team.

SIU added on two more runs in the fifth as Grann singled to left to score Coburn and Sarah Cook. A Baker RBI double in the next inning would see the Salukis go up, 9-4, which ended up being the final score.

Up Next
Southern Illinois, who has now won 15 of its last 16 games, will head out on the road for two midweek games. First, SIU will travel to Missouri State on Tuesday, April 8, at 5 p.m. for a conference matchup against the Lady Bears. Then, the Salukis will head to the University of Missouri to face the Tigers on Wednesday, April 9, at 6 p.m.

Follow the Salukis
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Softball, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiSoftball and on Instagram at @SIU_Softball. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.

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