Pitching Dominates as Salukis Blank Valparaiso in Both Games of Friday Doubleheader

Friday, March 6

Carbondale, IL

2 PM

Southern Illinois University

12-9, 1-0

Valparaiso

9-9, 0-1

Valparaiso

Southern Ill.

Pitching Dominates as Salukis Blank Valparaiso in Both Games of Friday Doubleheader

03/06/2026 | 8:48:00 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

By: Dominic Hoscher, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Playing at home for the first time in 2026, the Southern Illinois University softball team (13-9 overall, 2-0 MVC) shut out Valparaiso 12-0 (5) in game one and 4-0 in game two.

"Really liked the pitching performance today," head coach Jen Sewell said. "Although I still don't think we've thrown our best. We went with two true freshmen tonight to open. Not sure many clubs are doing that. And [Emily] Delgado had a really nice close."

The Salukis won via run-rule in game one, scoring 12 runs in just four innings to win in five. Freshman Hailey Lucas (3-4) pitched all five frames and limited the Beacons to one hit and no runs. Sage Grann, Emily Williams, Erin Lee, and Jordan Stewart all had two hits, while Stewart also had a career-high four RBI.

Maleah Blomenkamp walked three times in game one while Sydney Potter walked twice. Junior Emily Williams hit her third home run of the season, pushing the SIU lead to 10-0 in the bottom of the fourth.

"Super proud of the offense around our middle lineup's hitters," Sewell said. "I saw the work that hitters like Mal, Erin, Jordan, Amanda [Knutson], and Hayden [Kurtz] put in this week. Those hitters were really important today. Some really quality at bats out of them."

In game two, freshman Brooklynn Danielson and junior Emily Delgado (4-2) combined to blank the Beacons. Danielson allowed two hits with one walk and three strikeouts in 3.0 innings pitched, while Delgado recorded four strikeouts and did not allow a baserunner in her four innings of work.

Blomenkamp and Knutson led the Salukis with two hits each. Knutson also had three RBI in the nightcap. As a team, SIU scored four runs with eight hits and two errors against Valparaiso.

"I'm going to continue to ask us for cleaner defense but all in all, a great opening day," Sewell said. "Great crowd and so happy to be home in front of our incredible fans."

Game One: 12-0 (5) win vs. Valparaiso
Southern Illinois had a complete, all-around performance in its 12-0 run-rule win over Valpo in game one. The Salukis tallied 12 runs on nine hits with just one error in the first game of the day.

Lucas stranded a pair of Beacons in the first, leading to the offense recording three runs in the bottom half of the inning. After a big week in Nashville last week, Kurtz kept rolling early against Valparaiso, hitting an RBI single to score Potter. Lee then delivered a two-run single to extend the lead to 3-0.

The freshman righty posted back-to-back strikeouts in the second before working around a one-out error in the third. This set the stage for a five-run inning for the Salukis, with Grann knocking in a run in the form of Potter to give Southern Illinois a 4-0.

SIU continued to add on, as Lee hit an RBI double to score Brooklyn Pritchett before Stewart drove in two to extend the lead to 7-0. Knutson later came around to score on a wild pitch, pushing the advantage to eight entering the fourth.

There, Lucas fired another 1-2-3 inning while Southern scored four in the bottom half. Two of those came on a Williams home run, her third of the season. The junior launched it over the left field wall, scoring Potter. Two more runs were put on the board after a two-out, two-run double by Stewart.

Lucas finished things off in the fifth, securing the run-rule victory for the Salukis. The freshman lowered her ERA to 2.18 and her WHIP to 0.94 with the strong outing.

Game Two: 4-0 win vs. Valparaiso
Danielson and Delgado were dominant against the Beacons in game two. The freshman got the start and worked around a pair of Valpo baserunners to hold the visitors off the board.

While Valparaiso was able to create traffic in each of the first three innings, Danielson held the Beacons scoreless in her three frames. Delgado entered the game in the fourth and recorded a strikeout to begin the inning and one to end the inning.

The Salukis got going offensively in the bottom of the fourth. With the bases loaded, Knutson came through with a three-run double to right center, giving Southern Illinois a 3-0 lead.

Southern's lead was extended to 4-0 after Lee hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Pritchett from third.

Delgado's dominance continued in the top of the sixth, producing a pair of flyouts and a strikeout looking. One inning later, the junior concluded the game with another perfect frame, leading to SIU's 4-0 win.

Up Next
Southern Illinois will look for the sweep against Valparasio on Saturday with a scheduled start time of 1 p.m. at Charlotte West Stadium.

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