The University of Southern Indiana softball team took two games from rival Kentucky Wesleyan College this afternoon at the USI Softball Field in Evansville, Indiana. The Screaming Eagles won the first game 3-2, in nine innings, before blanking the Panthers, 4-0, in game two.
Down 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth with one out and a pair of runners on first and second, sophomore second baseman
Brooke Biggs (Osceola, Indiana) came up with a triple to send both runners across the plate and give USI the 3-2 win in game one. Junior centerfielder/pitcher
Rachel Bowling (Middleton, Indiana) accounted for USI's first run as she connected on her team-high sixth homerun of the season.
Senior hurler
Danielle Garnett (Griffith, Indiana) went the distance as she improved to 7-4 on the season. Griffith, who was flirting with a no-hitter until giving up two hits and KWC's first run in the top of the sixth inning, struck out 13 batters while walking just three.
KWC's Selena Morris was charged with the loss after giving up the three runs and 10 hits.
Freshman right-fielder
Sunny Oelling (Valparaiso, Indiana) led off the bottom of the first inning of game two with a single and eventually came around to score the game's first run when sophomore first baseman
Monica Tepe (Granger, Indiana) singled to right field. The Eagles added three more runs in the bottom of the fourth as they went on to the 4-0 victory.
Bowling worked all seven innings of game two as she recorded her second shutout of the season and improved to 5-5 on the season. She recorded six strikeouts and allowed just six hits and one base-on-balls.
The Panthers' Melissa Solomon was charged with the game-two loss as she allowed seven hits and four runs in five innings of work. KWC falls to 2-12 overall and 0-4 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
USI, which improves to 12-9 overall and 2-2 in the GLVC, will travel to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Lewis University this Friday, March 29, and Saturday, March 30. Friday's doubleheader, at UWP, will begin at 2 p.m. while Saturday's contest, at Lewis, is slated for an 11 a.m. doubleheader.
