MINNEOLA, Fla.--- The University of Southern Indiana softball team struggled to get hits on the board and as a result fell 2-0 to Midwest Regional opponent Hillsdale College, Saturday afternoon in Minneola, Florida, registering its first loss of the season.
The Screaming Eagles (7-1) came up with two hits during their bout with the Chargers: the first, a single to right field, from sophomore
Haley Hodges (Portage, Indiana) in the bottom of the second, and the final, a double by senior
Brooke Harmening (Whiteland, Indiana) in the seventh inning of the game as the Eagles trailed 2-0.
Despite being tabbed with the loss in the circle, junior pitcher
Sarah Owens (Indianapolis, Indiana) (1-1) tallied a game-high seven strikeouts in six innings of work. Harmening came in as relief following Hillsdale's second run in the top of the seventh inning.
The Chargers' first run came off a passed ball with two on and no outs in the top of the fourth. Following that play, however, Owens and company ended any type of Hillsdale streak with two-straight strikeouts and a pick-off by shortstop
Lexi Reese (Lebanon, Indiana).
USI opens its three-day six-game Dot Richardson Spring Games schedule Sunday at 8 a.m. (CDT) taking on West Chester University before a Noon (CDT) face-off with its third regional opponent of the week, The University of Findlay.
The following day, the Eagles go head-to-head with Bloomsburg University and the University of Mary before closing out their Florida trip with Wilmington University and Shippensburg University on Wednesday.
