at Southern Indiana (4-3): 7
Ohio Dominican (1-6): 3
-Box Score (8 inn.):
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EVANSVILLE, Ind.—Junior designated player
Kelsey Jankowski hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the University of Southern Indiana softball team a 7-3 victory over Ohio Dominican University in the first day of the USI Spring Classic Saturday at the USI Softball Field.
Jankowski, whose at-bats accounted for all of the Screaming Eagles' seven runs, finished the day with five RBIs.
USI (4-3) built a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning as Jankowski hit a ground ball that snuck through the glove of Ohio Dominican second baseman Kelsey Albanese and into the outfield. Freshman outfielder
Kaitlyn England and sophomore second baseman
MacKenzi Dorsam scored on the play.
Ohio Dominican (1-6) answered when USI centerfielder
Teri Newmaster dropped a fly ball with two outs in the fifth inning. The Panthers scored twice on the play; then pushed a run across the plate in the next at-bat to claim a 3-2 advantage.
The Eagles tied the game in the sixth inning after Dorsam led the frame off with a base hit. Dorsam, who was 2-of-3 in the contest, came around to score from second base two batters later when Jankowski's ground ball, once again, snuck underneath Albanese's glove at second base and into the outfield.
The international tie-breaker rule—the batter who makes the final out in the previous inning is placed on second base with no outs to begin the next frame—was used in the eighth inning; but solid defense from the Eagles held the Panthers scoreless in the top half of the frame to set up USI in the last part of the eighth.
Dorsam had a bunt single to put runners at first and third with no outs; then, after sophomore pitcher
Brooke Harmening was issued a free pass, Jankowski hit a 2-0 pitch over the wall in straight-away centerfield to give the Eagles the win.
Harmening (3-1) earned the victory after giving up three unearned runs off five hits in eight innings of work. She struck out four batters and issued just three walks.
USI returns to action Sunday when it hosts Tiffin University at 10 a.m. and Ohio Dominican at 4 p.m. Kentucky Wesleyan College, which lost 2-1 in eight innings to Tiffin Saturday, also plays Tiffin Sunday at noon and Ohio Dominican at 2 p.m.
