EVANSVILLE, Ind.—Senior second baseman MacKenzi Dorsam (Dubois, Indiana) went a combined 4-of-6 at the plate with a home run, two doubles, and four RBIs as the No. 15 University of Southern Indiana softball team swept a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader from visiting Truman State University Friday afternoon at the USI Softball Field.
 
Dorsam had a game-tying, three-run double in the bottom of the fifth inning of game one as USI rallied for a 4-3 victory; then hit a solo home run on the first pitch she saw in the bottom of the first inning of game two as the Screaming Eagles powered their way to a 6-4 win in the nightcap.
 
In the opener, Truman State (29-9, 16-6 GLVC) capitalized on a pair of lead-off walks in the first and second innings to plate a pair of runs. A lead-off single in the fourth inning led to another tally as the Bulldogs jumped out to a commanding 3-0 lead.
 
USI (31-5, 18-4 GLVC) was unable to muster much offense in the first four innings as it had just two hits and three base runners to show for.
 
The fifth inning, however, was a different story as USI got back-to-back one-out hits to put runners at first and second. Freshman outfielder Shelby Tate (Mattoon, Illinois) laid down a sacrifice bunt in the next at-bat, but when Truman State pitcher Kindra Henze fielded the ball, no one covered first base.
 
Truman State's mental error, which allowed USI to load the bases, proved costly as Dorsam, following a pitching change, roped a one-out, bases-clearing double to the leftfield fence to tie the score at 3-3.
 
A two-out double by sophomore shortstop Lexi Reese (Lebanon, Indiana) in the last half of the sixth inning began another USI rally. The Eagles, who replaced Reese with a pinch-runner—sophomore Alisha Ludwig (Terre Haute, Indiana)—took advantage of a pair of errors on Truman State second baseman Andrea Klipsch in the next at-bat as they plated the go-ahead run.
 
Truman State put runners on first and second with two outs in the top of the seventh, but senior pitcher Brooke Harmening (Whiteland, Indiana) induced a ground ball for the game-ending third out.
 
Harmening improved to 18-1 on the year with the victory after giving up three runs, two earned, off eight hits in seven innings of work.
 
Following Dorsam's solo shot to straight-away centerfield in the nightcap, USI got a two-out single by Harmening and a run-scoring double by sophomore catcher Haley Hodges (Portage, Indiana) to put the Eagles up, 2-0 in the bottom of the first.
 
After the two teams traded tallies in the second inning, USI increased its advantage to 4-1 in the fifth inning when Tate executed a suicide squeeze to score Harmening from third base.
 
Truman State got a two-run home run from Klipsch in the top of the sixth inning to trim USI's lead to a single tally, but a four-hit inning from the Eagles, including a lead-off double by Dorsam, in the last half of the sixth frame led to two more runs and a 6-3 lead for USI. Harmening and Hodges each had RBIs.
 
The Bulldogs rallied with two outs in the seventh inning, but, with the bases loaded, junior pitcher Sarah Owens (Indianapolis, Indiana) induced a fielder's choice ground out to end the game and put the Eagles in sole possession of third place in the GLVC standings.
 
Owens was credited with the win after giving up four runs, three earned, off seven hits in seven innings of work.
 
USI returns to action Saturday at noon when it hosts Quincy University for Senior Day at the USI Softball Field. The Eagles will honor Dorsam and Harmening following the GLVC doubleheader.