The University of Southern Indiana softball team closed out its 2003 home schedule and pushed its season-high winning streak to 14 games with a 5-2 and 6-1 sweep of Brescia University Monday afternoon at the USI Softball Field in Evansville, Indiana. The Screaming Eagles improve to 26-16 overall while the Lady Bearcats fall to 28-16 on the season.
In game one, freshman hurler
Missy Grover (Mishawaka, Indiana) spread six hits and two runs throughout seven innings to pick up her seventh straight win. Grover (11-4) walked five batters but did not allow an earned run in the contest.
The Eagles benefited from the bats of sophomore lead-off hitter
Sunny Oelling (Valparaiso, Indiana) and junior third baseman
Nichole Pike (Fairfield, Illinois). Oelling was 2-of-3 from the plate with a pair of runs scored while Pike's first triple of the season drove in two runs.
Down 1-0 in game one, USI put across four runs in the bottom of the third inning and another in the bottom of the fifth inning to pull out the 5-2 victory.
In game two, Oelling was the offensive star again, this time matching her 2-of-3 performance from game one. Oelling finished with a double and three RBIs as she raised her team-high batting average from .400 to .411 in the two games.
Defensively for the Eagles, junior right-hander
Shannon Emmons (Boonville, Indiana) paced the Eagles by dispersing five hits throughout six innings. Emmons (14-12) picked up her seventh consecutive victory after giving up just one run and striking out seven batters.
Playing in her final home games, senior shortstop
Jenny Duell (West Lafayette, Indiana) jump-started the Eagle offensive in both games by recording RBI doubles in the third inning of both contests.
Like the first game, the Eagles used a four-run third inning to gain a 4-0 lead in the nightcap. USI tacked on a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth to round out its scoring for the day.
The Eagles will now turn their attention to the upcoming GLVC Tournament in hopes of qualifying for the NCAA II Tournament. USI, the fourth seed in the league championship tournament, will take on fifth-seeded Bellarmine University at 9 a.m. on the campus of SIU Edwardsville, in Edwardsville, Illinois, in the first round this Friday, May 2.
