PEORIA, Ill.---The University of Southern Indiana softball team suffered a 4-1 loss to Lewis University in the opening round of the 2015 Great Lakes Valley Conference Softball Championship Tournament Friday afternoon in Peoria, Illinois.
USI, which entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed, falls to 37-8 overall, while No. 6 seed Lewis improves to 26-20 overall, moving on to face University of Illinois-Springfield in the next round of play.
After five scoreless innings, the Flyers tallied a run late in the top of the sixth, but the Eagles rallied back as senior
Brooke Harmening (Whiteland, Indiana) delivered her solo blast, in the bottom of the seventh, with one out on the board.
USI was unable to score another run, sending the first-round game into extra innings.
With one out in the top of the eighth, the Flyers tallied a run followed by two walks to load the bases, putting them in perfect scoring position as they tallied two runs off a sacrifice fly and RBI-single to take a 3-1 lead over the Eagles.
Harmening entered the circle to relieve junior
Sarah Owens (Indianapolis, Indiana) following the Flyers' scoring run, but the No. 6 seed tacked on another run for a 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth inning.
After 7.2 innings of play, Owens (11-5) was tabbed with the loss in the circle, tallying six strikeouts, three walks, and four earned runs, while also allowing seven hits. Lewis' Kelly Bowler (17-12) was awarded the win, letting off four hits, one earned run, and a game-high nine strikeouts.
USI, which was unable to rally back in its portion of the eighth, took the 4-1 loss and head to the elimination round to face University of Indianapolis. The Hounds were shutout by Illinois-Springfield, 3-0, in their first round game.
