Game 1
at McKendree (11-30, 9-24 GLVC): 6
Southern Indiana (29-18, 17-15 GLVC): 3
-Box Score: HTML | Sortable |
Game 2
Southern Indiana: 5
at McKendree: 1
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LEBANON, Ill.—The University of Southern Indiana softball team scored four times in the top of the seventh inning to post a 5-1, game-two victory over host McKendree University Sunday and forge a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader split on the final day of the 2013 regular-season. McKendree won the opener, 6-3.
USI (29-18, 17-15 GLVC) took advantage of a walk, an error, and a passed ball to put runners at second and third with one out in the seventh for freshman
Janna Green, who hit an RBI-single into centerfield to put the Screaming Eagles on top, 2-1.
Sophomore
MacKenzi Dorsam, who was a combined 3-of-5 on the day, followed with a two-run double, while junior
Kelsey Jankowski drove in Dorsam two batters later as the Eagles increased their cushion to 5-1.
Earlier in the contest, freshman
Kaitlyn England drove in sophomore
Brooke Harmening with an RBI-single to put the Eagles up, 1-0, in the fourth inning.
McKendree (11-30, 9-24 GLVC), however, took advantage of three walks in the bottom of the frame to tie the contest at 1-1. The Bearcats threatened to score more, but Harmening, who suffered the loss in game one, came on in relief to squelch the rally and keep the contest tied at 1-1.
Harmening (20-10) earned the win, becoming the first 20-game winner for the Eagles since Missy Grover went 22-7 in 2006. Harmening allowed just one hit in 3.1 innings of work after giving up six runs, three earned, off eight hits in the opener.
In the opener, McKendree racked up five hits and took advantage of a pair of USI errors in the bottom of the second inning to score six times. USI, which had just four hits, cut the deficit in half in the sixth as Harmening hit a three-run blast over the leftfield fence.
The Eagles return to action Friday when they open the GLVC Softball Championship Tournament at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria, Illinois. USI will be the No. 6 seed and will face the No. 3 seed, William Jewell College, in the opening round of the double-elimination tournament. Game time is to be announced.
