Southern Illinois Splits Tuesday Doubleheader at Murray State

Tuesday, April 21

Murray, KY

2 PM

Southern Illinois University

28-14, 17-5

Murray State

19-20, 10-8

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Southern Ill.	0	0	1	1	0	2	0	4	7	1
Murray St.	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	3	7	3

04/21/2026 | 7:53:00 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Dominic Hoscher, SIUSalukis.com

MURRAY, Ky. - The Southern Illinois University softball team (29-15 overall, 18-6 MVC) split its doubleheader at Murray State on Tuesday, winning game one, 4-3, before dropping game two, 3-0.

Junior Amanda Knutson was SIU's top performer on offense, going 4-for-6 with two doubles and one run scored. Fellow juniors Mikaela Coburn and Emily Williams both had two hits each, while sophomore Hayden Kurtz hit her sixth home run of the year.

In the circle, junior Emily Delgado went 1-0 and appeared in both games. Delgado earned the win in game one after coming out of the bullpen and tossing 2.2 innings pitched with zero runs or hits allowed.

Game One: 4-3 win at Murray State
Both teams tallied seven hits in game one. Defensively, Murray State committed three errors compared to Southern Illinois' one.

Freshman Brooklynn Danielson got the start and worked around a one-out walk to keep the contest scoreless through the first inning.

The Salukis produced a pair of baserunners in the second after a double by Knutson and a walk by Kurtz, but the two were stranded, keeping the game knotted at 0-0.

After Danielson retired the Racers in order in the bottom of the second, SIU struck for its first run of the day in the following frame. With two outs, Williams hit an RBI double to score Sage Grann and give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Murray State answered back quickly with a run of its own. With two outs in the third inning, the hosts tied the game with an RBI single to make it 1-1.

Southern Illinois' advantage was restored in the top of the fourth after a Coburn infield single led to Kurtz coming around to score SIU's second run of the game.

The Racers posed a threat in the bottom half of the inning after a hit by pitch and a two-out single. Danielson got out unscathed, however, after producing a fly out to Maleah Blomenkamp in right field.

A two-run home run to left in the bottom of the fifth put Murray State back in front by a score of 3-2.

Knutson led the sixth off with a double, setting the stage for Kurtz. The sophomore proceeded to hit a two-run home run of her own to give the Salukis a 4-3 lead. Kurtz is now up to six home runs on the year, which ranks fourth on the team.

Delgado, who was named the D1Softball Mid-Major and Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday, left the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, keeping the score at 4-3.

The game would finish this way after Delgado produced a 1-2-3 seventh inning for the Salukis.

Knutson went 2-for-3 with a run scored while Kurtz went 1-for-1 with a home run, two RBI, two runs scored, and two walks.

Game Two: 3-0 loss at Murray State
In the second game of the day, the Salukis were held to five hits as they fell, 3-0. Murray State's three runs came on nine hits with one error.

Both SIU and Murray State produced baserunners in each of the first two innings, but neither team was able to plate a run. Freshman pitcher Hailey Lucas made the start for Southern and began her day with two scoreless innings.

The score would remain 0-0 until the bottom of the third. There, the Racers scored a run off of a one-out double to take a 1-0 lead.

Two innings later, the advantage was increased to 3-0 for Murray State after a triple and a bunt drove in a pair of runs in the fifth.

Southern Illinois produced two baserunners with two outs in the top of the sixth, but both were left on base as the frame ended on a fielder's choice.

The Salukis were unable to get on the board in the seventh, leading to the 3-0 defeat.

Up Next
Southern Illinois will not be back on the field again until Tuesday, April 28, when it hosts SIUE at 6 p.m. This will be the final regular season game held at Charlotte West Stadium in 2026.

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