EVANSVILLE, Ind.---Powerful hitting lead 16
th-ranked University of Southern Indiana softball to a doubleheader sweep over Great Lakes Valley Conference opponent University of Wisconsin-Parkside Saturday afternoon.
The Screaming Eagles tallied 12 hits in their 10-4 route of the Rangers in game one, before returning to the field to tally 11 hits, defeating the visiting team, 8-3.
USI improves to 28-5 overall, 14-4 in conference play, taking on the Flyers of Lewis University Sunday at Noon and 2 p.m.
Despite giving up two runs in the top of the first, the Eagles came back to take a 4-2 lead, which featured a three-run homer by senior
Brooke Harmening (Whiteland, Indiana).
The Rangers rallied back in the second inning with a two-run triple to tie the game up at 4-4.
Senior
MacKenzi Dorsam (Dubois, Indiana) recorded the second homerun of the day in USI's portion of the second, sending freshman
Olivia Clark-Kittleson (Carbondale, Illinois) home for a 6-4 lead.
USI continued to extend its lead, racking up four RBIs from sophomores
Grace Clark (Indianapolis, Indiana) and
Haley Hodges (Portage, Indiana), and juniors
Toni Braun (Evanston, Indiana) and
Janna Green (Glenwood, Indiana).
Along with tallying a game-high three RBIs, Harmening (16-1) was awarding the win in the circle, delivering five strikeouts in a full seven innings pitched. Pitching time was shared by Wisconsin-Parkside's Carley Dundee and Amber Ramos, with Dundee taking the loss, falling to 3-13 on the season.
Wisconsin-Parkside got on the board first in game two, off an RBI-single in the top of the third, but the Eagles would soon answer back, scoring two runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Again, the Rangers would rally to the tie the game at 2-2 with a homerun in the following inning, but Harmening came back with her second three-run homer of the day, putting USI ahead, 5-2.
Following an RBI-single by Braun, in the bottom of the sixth, Harmening would go on to rack up another two RBIs, solidifying the Eagles' 8-3 win and sweep over UWP.
Junior
Sarah Owens (Indianapolis, Indiana) recorded another win for USI's pitching staff, improving to 8-3, tallying a game-high four strikeouts.
