(sortable)
Southern Indiana (26-18, 15-13 GLVC): 1, 5
at Kentucky Wesleyan (16-28, 11-21 GLVC): 0, 4
-HTML Box Scores:
Game 1 (8 innings) |
Game 2
OWENSBORO, Ky.—Freshman pitcher
Brooke Harmening tossed her first-career no-hitter as the University of Southern Indiana softball team swept a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader from host Kentucky Wesleyan College Wednesday. USI won the opener, 1-0, in eight innings before taking the second game, 5-4.
Senior designated player
Kristen O'Haver hit a solo home run to break a scoreless tie in the top of the eighth inning to give the Screaming Eagles a 1-0 lead in game one. Harmening (15-11), who did not allow a base-runner until the fifth inning, struck out seven batters en route to the no-hitter and her team-high sixth complete-game shutout of the year.
Harmening's day did not end in game one as she came on in relief in game two to hold the Panthers off the scoreboard and earn her second win of the day. Harmening, who did not allow a hit until the bottom of the seventh inning, struck out six batters in two-and-two-thirds innings of work.
After falling behind, 2-0, in game two, the Eagles got a three-run home run from junior shortstop
Stephanie Bittner in the top of the second inning to take a 3-2 advantage.
USI (26-18, 15-13 GLVC) scored on a wild pitch fourth inning to extend its advantage to 4-2, but the Panthers scored twice in the home half of the fifth inning to even the score.
Kentucky Wesleyan (16-28, 11-21 GLVC) had the go-ahead run at third base with one out in the fifth frame when Harmening entered the circle to stop the rally.
Freshman second baseman
Kara Werner, who wore out Kentucky Wesleyan's pitching throughout the doubleheader, had a two-out, run-scoring double in the seventh inning to break the tie and give the Eagles the 5-4 advantage.
The Eagles, who fell out of the top 10 of the latest NCAA II Midwest Region rankings despite winning three-of-four games last week, return to action Saturday at noon when they host the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in a GLVC doubleheader at the USI Softball Field. USI will wear pink uniforms Saturday to participate in the National Fastpitch Coaches' Association's Strikeout Cancer Initiative.
USI, which swept the four-game season series with Kentucky Wesleyan, closes the regular-season Sunday at noon when it hosts Lewis University for Senior Day.
