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Southern Indiana (30-22): 5 Ferris State (29-16): 2 -Box Score: HTML | Sortable

#22 Missouri-St. Louis (41-12): 4 Southern Indiana: 2 -Box Score: HTML | Sortable

ALLENDALE, Mich.—The University of Southern Indiana softball team scored four times in the top of the ninth inning and held off a late rally by the opposition in the bottom of the frame to post a 5-2 win over Ferris State University in the elimination bracket of the 2013 NCAA II Midwest Region #2 Tournament Saturday afternoon.

USI, however, could not overcome a three-run first inning by No. 22 University of Missouri-St. Louis in its second game of the day as the Tritons defeated the Screaming Eagles, 4-2.

After enduring a nearly three-hour long rain delay prior to the beginning of the first game of the day, the Eagles fell behind 1-0 in the bottom of the first frame as Ferris State capitalized on an error to plate the game's first run.

USI (30-22) took advantage of a pair of walks to begin the fourth frame as it tied the contest on an RBI-groundout by junior Kyla Gogel.

The Eagles escaped a scare in the bottom of the seventh inning after a pair of errors left players at the corners for Ferris State with one out. But Ferris State's Alex Wittman followed the second miscue with a line drive that USI freshman shortstop Janna Green turned into an inning-ending double play.

In the ninth, USI capitalized on two Ferris State defensive miscues as the Eagles broke the game open. Sophomore pitcher Brooke Harmening scored the go-ahead run on a fielder's choice by Gogel; then after a bases-loaded walk to freshman Toni Braun, Green hit a two-run single to extend the Eagles' cushion to 5-1.

The Bulldogs (29-16), however, began the bottom of the ninth inning with three straight hits, including a run-scoring double by Lindsey Pettit, to cut the Eagles' cushion to three runs; but Harmeing settled down to induce a pop-up and a groundout before fanning Michelle Tononi on a called third strike for the final out of the contest.

Harmening (21-12) earned the win after allowing two runs, just one earned, off six hits in nine innings of work. She struck out four batters and did not allow a walk.

In the Eagles elimination game with Missouri-St. Louis (41-12), the Tritons took advantage of three walks as they scored three times to build a 3-0 advantage chase USI freshman starter Sarah Owens from the contest. Missouri-St. Louis tracked on another run in the second as it built a commanding 4-0 lead.

Harmening, who spelled Owens (8-9) in the first inning, kept the Tritons in check throughout the remainder of the contest as USI mounted a comeback. Harmening gave up just one run off five hits while striking out nine Tritons in 6.2 innings of action.

The Eagles scored twice in the bottom of the third inning to cut the Tritons' advantage in half. Green had a sacrifice fly to push across the first tally while Harmening, who extended her hitting streak to 13 games, had an RBI-single to plate USI's second run.

USI loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth frame, but a double-play followed by a strike out two batters later kept the Eagles off the scoreboard.

Missouri-St. Louis sophomore pitcher Brittni Chapman allowed a lead-off single in the sixth, but another double-play helped the Tritons to keep the Eagles from a scoring opportunity.

The Eagles conclude the year by reaching the 30-win plateau for the first time since 2008 and the NCAA II Tournament for the first time since 2006. The Tritons, who lost to No. 9 Grand Valley State University, 4-0, Saturday morning, face the Lakers Sunday at noon.