LEBANON, Ill.--- The 16
th-ranked University of Southern Indiana softball team tallied three homeruns, two of which brought in multiple runs, to help boost it to its third-straight doubleheader sweep Saturday afternoon in Lebanon, Illinois.
The Screaming Eagles started the day with two homers in its 8-3 win over McKendree University before returning to the field to take game two from the Bearcats, 6-1.
Senior
MacKenzi Dorsam (Dubois, Indiana) tallied her third lead off homerun of the season to give the Eagles an early 1-0 lead in the day's opener, but McKendree would answer back with a run in their portion of the third to knot the game at 1-1.
In the top of the sixth, however, with two on and no outs, senior
Brooke Harmening (Whiteland, Indiana) sent another ball out of the park, extending USI's lead to 4-1.
The Eagles continued a scoring run through the inning with an RBI-single by redshirt freshman
Shelby Tate (Matoon, Illinois) followed by unearned runs by Dorsam, Tate, and sophomore
Lexi Reese (Lebanon, Indiana), respectively, for an 8-1 lead.
McKendree attempted a comeback in the final inning of the game, tallying two runs off a homer by Hanna Branch,
Harmening, who was 2-for-4 with three RBIs, improved to 13-1 in the circle, delivering five strikeouts and allowing four hits off.
In the nightcap, junior pitcher
Sarah Owens (Indianapolis, Indiana) improved to 5-1 on the season, limiting the Bearcats to six hits, while registering one strikeout.
Sophomore
Haley Hodges (Portage, Indiana) led the way for USI coming up with an RBI-single in the first frame and a three-run homer in the third.
Junior
Toni Braun (Evanston, Indiana) added an RBI-single of her own and allowed junior
Janna Green (Glenwood, Indiana) to cross home during a plate appearance in the top of the fourth as the Eagles racked up their 6-0 lead.
The Bearcats would prevent a shutout with an RBI in the sixth, but could produce no more eventually falling 6-1.
USI heads to Springfield, Illinois, to take on University of Illinois Springfield in a doubleheader matchup slated for Noon start. The Eagles are on the road next weekend, facing Saint Joseph's College and University of Indianapolis, before heading home for a mid-week doubleheader Tuesday, April 7 versus Bellarmine University.
