at Missouri-St. Louis (16-10, 6-4 GLVC): 7, 11
Southern Indiana (8-16, 7-5 GLVC): 6, 3
Game 1 Box Score (9 innings) | Game 2 Box Score (5 innings)

ST. LOUIS, Mo.—The University of Southern Indiana softball team saw a 5-2 lead evaporate in the first game of a doubleheader as the University of Missouri-St. Louis rallied to defeat the Screaming Eagles, 6-5, in nine innings Wednesday before completing a doubleheader sweep with an 11-3 win in five innings in game two.

USI (8-16, 7-5 GLVC) used the long ball to grab a 2-0 advantage early in game one. Junior shortstop Dani Finkelstein hit a solo shot in the second inning to start the scoring, while senior catcher Tara McConnell went deep in the third frame to stake the Eagles to an early advantage.

The Tritons (16-10, 6-4 GLVC), however, struck back for a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning to tie the score. Missouri-St. Louis got its first three batters on base to begin the inning before Meaghan Bauer hit a two-run single to centerfield.

Freshman rightfielder Katherine Belsito gave the Eagles a 3-2 lead when she hit a two-out double in the fourth inning. McConnell, who went 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs, and a pair of sacrifices, gave the Eagles a 5-2 advantage with a two-run single in the next at-bat.

Missouri-St. Louis, which leads the GLVC with 36 home runs, stormed back in the fifth inning on the strength of a two-run shot from Bauer and a solo home run by leftfielder Karey Kruse.

Senior designated player Sara Loete gave the Eagles a 6-5 lead with an RBI-double in the sixth inning, but the Tritons answered with a tally in the seventh inning before winning the game with a walk-off home run off the bat of designated player JaCee Ellis in the ninth inning.

Freshman pitcher Stephanie Bittner took the loss for the Eagles after giving up two runs in 3.2 innings of work. Bittner (0-1), who entered the game for sophomore hurler Hadley Clark in the fifth frame, struck out four batters and allowed just two hits.

Clark (4-8) also started the second game but had no luck as Missouri-St. Louis tagged her for seven runs off eight hits in 2.2 innings of work. The Tritons scored twice in the second inning to take a 3-0 lead, then touched the Eagles up for seven runs in the third frame to take a commanding 10-0 advantage.

USI got a two-run double from junior third baseman LeAnn Collins and a run-scoring single from Finkelstein in the fourth inning to cut the deficit to seven runs, but the Tritons scored once more in the fifth frame to end the contest in five innings via the eight-run rule.

The Eagles return to action Friday at 2 p.m. when they host Drury University in a GLVC doubleheader at the USI Softball Field. Drury is under the direction of former USI Assistant Coach Annie Medico.