The University of Southern Indiana softball team advanced to final four of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Softball Tournament this afternoon in Romeoville, Illinois. The Screaming Eagles went 2-1 with an opening win against Bellarmine University (4-2), a loss to second-ranked Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (1-2), and a win-or-go-home victory over Saint Joseph's College (2-1).

Senior hurler Danielle Garnett (Griffith, Indiana) pitched all three games as she gave up just five runs in 21 innings of work to post the 2-1 mark and improve her season record to 18-9. Garnett struck out 21 batters during the three-game stretch and allowed just one walk.

USI, which improves to 28-17 on the season, will play Bellarmine in a rematch of USI's GLVC Tournament opener Saturday. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.

In USI's victory over Bellarmine, junior centerfielder/pitcher Rachel Bowling (Middletown, Indiana) hit her 12th and 13th home runs of the season to provide all of USI's four runs. Bowling's 13th home run eclipsed USI's single-season school record, in which she set last season, and put her at an even 30 for her career.

With her four RBI against Bellarmine, Bowling also became the school's all-time leader in career runs batted as she knocked in her 109th, 110th, 111th, and 112th career RBI. The old record was 110, held by Andrea Strange.

After giving up a pair of solo shots against Bellarmine, Garnett fell victim to another pair of solo home runs against top-seeded SIU Edwardsville. The second-ranked team in the nation sent one over the fence in the bottom of the first inning and another in the bottom of the fifth inning. Both came with two outs in the inning.

Junior outfielder Ginnie Roberts (Lafayette, Indiana) provided USI's scoring against SIUE as she recorded her second-career home run in the top of the second inning.

Facing elimination against Saint Joseph's, the Eagles turned to the corners of their infield. Sophomore first baseman Monica Tepe (Granger, Indiana) recorded an RBI double to right-centerfield to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

With the score tied 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning, senior third baseman Molly Blackford (Newburgh, Indiana) came through with a two-out single to leftfield, bringing home freshman pinch-runner Sunny Oelling (Valparaiso, Indiana) and giving the Eagles 2-1 advantage and eventually the 2-1 victory.

Below is a listing of games from Day 1 of the GLVC Tournament:

Game 1: #4 USI 4, #5 Bellarmine 2
Game 2: #3 Lewis 1, #6 Saint Joseph's 0
Game 3: #1 SIU Edwardsville 2, #8 Wisconsin-Parkside 1
Game 4: #7 Missouri-St. Louis 1, #2 Northern Kentucky 0
Game 5: Saint Joseph's 2, Wisconsin-Parkside 1 (10-innings), UWP eliminated
Game 6: Bellarmine 5, Northern Kentucky 0, NKU eliminated
Game 7: SIU Edwardsville 2, USI 1
Game 8: Lewis 1, Missouri-St. Louis 0
Game 9: USI 2, Saint Joseph's 0, SJC eliminated
Game 10: Bellarmine 4, Missouri-St. Louis 1, UMSL eliminated