EAST PEORIA, Ill.---The University of Southern Indiana softball team was eliminated from the 2015 Great Lakes Valley Conference Softball Championship Tournament following an 8-0, six-inning, loss to the No. 2 seed, University of Indianapolis, Friday afternoon in East Peoria, Illinois.
USI (37-9), which was fourth in the last NCAA II Midwest Region rankings, will have to wait and see if it has done enough to qualify for the NCAA II Midwest Region Tournament. The NCAA Division II Softball Championship selection show is Monday on www.ncaa.com.
The Hounds (39-11) continue on in the tournament, and will face the loser of game seven, which features top-seeded University of Missouri-St. Louis and No. 4 Truman State University.
Indianapolis began its scoring run in the opening inning, with a two-run blast to centerfield. The Hounds tallied an unearned run in the following inning, extending its lead to 3-0.
A solo homer to center field lifted the Hounds to a 4-0 lead in the top of the fifth, which was followed up by a two-run double for a 6-0 advantage.
The Hounds tacked on the need runs in the next inning to activate the game-ending, eight-run rule. USI could not produce a run in its portion of the sixth, eventually surrendering to Indianapolis, 8-0.
Senior
Brooke Harmening (Whiteland, Indiana) fell to 21-3 on the season, giving up nine hits and six runs (five earned), while striking out six batters in five innings of work. USI tallied four hits and benefited from four walks, but stranded seven runners on.
Junior
Sarah Owens (Indianapolis, Indiana), who came in for Harmening during what would be the final inning of play, tallied one strikeout and gave up two hits, two earned runs, and two walks.
