Softball Defeats Mercer, 8-3, in Game One; Comes Up Short, 5-4, against Missouri State in Game Two

Friday, February 20

Birmingham, AL

9 AM

Southern Illinois University

8-3

Mercer

8-3

Southern Illinois

Mercer

Softball Defeats Mercer, 8-3, in Game One; Comes Up Short, 5-4, against Missouri State in Game Two

02/20/2026 | 4:06:00 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

By: Dominic Hoscher, SIUSalukis.com

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - On its first day at the UAB Green and Gold Classic, the Southern Illinois University softball team (8-4) took game one against Mercer, 8-3, before falling, 5-4, vs. Missouri State in game two.

"I'm starting to get really frustrated with our slow starts," head coach Jen Sewell said. "We are struggling to set any sort of tone. The Mercer game looked like a win but it didn't feel like a win. We've been coming from behind a few times and playing with fire and somehow winning it late. Today, we created a couple big holes and that's a tough way to live."

Junior pitcher Emily Delgado was dominant against Mercer, earning the win after allowing just one hit and one walk with eight strikeouts across five scoreless innings. Southern Illinois trailed, 3-1, after the opening two innings before scoring four runs in the fourth and three in the sixth to win by a final score of 8-3.

In game two, Missouri State scored all five of its runs in the second inning. After posting one run in the bottom of the fourth, junior catcher Sydney Potter hit a three-run home run in the seventh, her ninth of the season. The Salukis were unable to complete the comeback, however, falling 5-4 against the former Valley foe.

"My message is clear - adjust pitch-to-pitch and at bat-to-at bat," Sewell said. "And buy into the information each at bat gives you. We aren't robots. The scout seems optional to us. The sport is not just physical - it's tactical. And on top of that, on offense and defense right now we are causing our own issues. Those mistakes are compounding on us and we are having a blowup inning."

Game One: 8-3 win vs. Mercer
Sophomore pitcher Emma Gipson got the start against Mercer prior to Delgado coming in during the third inning. As a team, the Salukis tallied eight runs on nine hits with one error in the win.

The Bears got off to a quick start in game one, hitting a two-run home run in the bottom of the first to take an early 2-0 lead.

Southern Illinois answered back in the following inning. After Erin Lee walked and Amanda Knutson singled, Lee stole home as Knutson took second, cutting the deficit to one. Mercer restored its two-run advantage in the bottom of the second, taking a 3-1 lead.

A four-run fourth inning put the Salukis ahead, 5-3. Maleah Blomenkamp hit an RBI single to score Knutson before Sage Grann reached on an error by the Mercer left fielder, allowing three runs to score.

Delgado tossed a 1-2-3 fifth inning with two strikeouts, setting the stage for the offense to add three more runs in the top of the sixth. Mikaela Coburn hit a two-run single to drive in Blomenkamp and Brooklyn Pritchett for the first two runs of the inning. Haley Wilkerson then drew a bases-loaded walk to give Southern Illinois an 8-3 lead.

In the bottom of the sixth, Delgado once again did not allow a baserunner, keeping SIU ahead by five. The junior proceeded to strike out the side in the seventh, securing the 8-3 victory.

Game Two: 5-4 loss vs. Missouri State
Against Missouri State, SIU scored four runs on five hits with no errors. Kiana McDowell got the start and went one inning before Hailey Lucas pitched the other six.

All five runs Missouri State scored came in the second. The big hit came from shortstop Mya January who hit a three-run triple to left, giving the Lady Bears a 4-0 lead. January came around to score one at bat later on a fielder's choice.

Lucas kept the Lady Bears off the board for the remainder of the game after the second inning.

Southern's first run came in the bottom of the fourth. Lee scored on a Wilkerson ground out, making it a 5-1 game.

SIU cut it to a one-run deficit after Potter hit a three-run home run in the seventh, scoring Blomenkamp and Charleston Pursley. This was the catcher's ninth home run of the season, which is tied for the most in the country.

Missouri State worked around a Grann walk to hold on for the 5-4 win.

"We need to go win the game and quit waiting around for the other team to lose the game," Sewell said.

Up Next
The Salukis will be back in action on Saturday for two more games at the UAB Green and Gold Classic. Southern Illinois' first game will be vs. Ole Miss at 9 a.m., with the second being against the hosts, UAB, at 2 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.