WINTER GARDEN, Fla.---The University of Southern Indiana softball team opened the first day of its Dot Richardson Spring Games schedule with a dominating 5-0 win over seventh-ranked West Chester University, before rallying-from-behind to defeat Midwest Region opponent The University of Findlay Sunday in Winter Garden Florida.
The Screaming Eagles improve to 9-1 on the season and continue double-header action Monday taking on Bloomsburg University at Noon (CDT) followed by University of Mary at 4 p.m. (CDT).
In the game one, junior
Toni Braun (Evanston, Indiana) got the ball rolling with a triple to right field, followed by a run off senior
Brooke Harmening 's (Whiteland, Indiana) grounder to shortstop.
The score would remain 1-0 until the top of the fourth when sophomore
Grace Clark (Indianapolis, Indiana) and junior
Janna Green (Glenwood, Indiana) tallied an RBI apiece, but the Eagles' scoring run didn't stop there.
During USI's portion of the fifth, an RBI-single by Harmening allowed for redshirt-freshman
Shelby Tate (Mattoon, Illinois) to cross home plate, causing a pitching change by the Golden Rams.
A fresh arm was not enough to prevent runs by the Eagles, however, as sophomore
Haley Hodges (Portage, Indiana) grounder allowed Braun to head home to solidify USI's 5-0 win.
Harmening picked up her sixth win in the circle, totaling a game-high seven strikeouts and allowing just three hits off.
Following the shutout over West Chester, the Eagles had a come-from-behind performance over regional foe Findlay.
Down 1-0 after the opening inning, senior
MacKenzi Dorsam (Dubois, Indiana) tallied an RBI-double off a triple to centerfield, sending freshman
Olivia Clark-Kittleson (Carbondale, Illinois) and Green home for a 2-1 lead. In that same inning, a RBI-single by Braun sent Dorsam home to extend USI's streak to 3-1, while Clark followed up in the bottom of the fourth with another RBI-single, off a double to right field, allowing Hodges to cross home plate for the Eagles' final run.
A comeback-attempt late in the fifth inning by the Oilers resulted in just one more run as the Eagles tallied their third regional win of the season ending the game at 4-2.
Junior pitcher
Sarah Owens (Indianapolis, Indiana) came back from yesterday's loss to tally her second win of the season, while Harmening came in as relief earning the save.
