EVANSVILLE-Ind.---The University of Southern Indiana softball team opened the final regular season weekend with a split of Maryville University at USI Softball Field on Saturday. The Screaming Eagles fell 4-2 in the opening contest before grabbing a 4-3 victory in eight innings to close the day.
 
USI moves to 33-15 overall and 21-6 in the GLVC, while Maryville shifts to 36-10 overall and 20-7 in the conference.

The Eagles opened the first game trying to fight back from an early deficit. The Saints scored first in the top of the first on a two-run home run to jump in front 2-0.
 
Sophomore Marleah Fossett powered the Eagles to tie the contest at 2-2 in the bottom of the first on a two-run double to right center that scored junior Haley Hodges and senior Janna Green.
 
Maryville scored again in the third on a RBI single to retake the lead at 3-2 before the Saints added an insurance run in the sixth for the 4-2 advantage.
 
Leading USI was Fossett, who finished game one with a 2-4 outing with a pair of RBIs and a double. Hodges did not record an at-bat in the contest, as the Eagles' biggest offensive threat was intentionally walked four times.
 
Senior Sarah Owens pitched just two innings, giving up three runs on four hits before being pulled. Freshman Courtney Atkisson closed the contest, pitching five innings and allowing just one run on three hits with three strikeouts.

In the second game, USI started the contest as they had much of the season.
 
The Eagles opened the scoring with an RBI by Fossett in the third inning, as the sophomore reached on a fielders choice. On the play junior Lexi Reese was thrown out at second base, while Hodges scored. Janna Green then scored after the Saints' second baseman committed a throwing error, putting the Eagles up 2-0.
 
Maryville pulled within one in the fourth on an RBI walk with the bases loaded that cut the USI advantage to 2-1.
 
In the sixth, Maryville took the lead on a pair of Eagle errors, as the Saints scored two runs to move ahead 3-2.
 
USI would responded, as senior Toni Braun stepped up for the Eagles with an RBI single through the left side that scored freshman Lindsay Barr.
 
In extras, the Eagles put two runners on in scoring position with one out when Braun came up to bat. With Braun at the late, Maryville pitcher Nikki Taylor pitched a ball in the dirt that catcher Casey Ward was unable to corral. Eagles' sophomore Mena Fulton charged home on the wild pitch, scoring easily on the play and earning the walk-off victory for USI.
 
USI was led by sophomore Shelby Tate in the second contest, who finished 2-4, while Fulton was 1-3 with a run scored. Hodges was intentionally walked four more times in game two, finishing the doubleheader 0-0 with eight intentional walks. With those walks, Hodges breaks the USI single-season walks record, which was previously set by MacKenzi Dorsam, who had 32 during the 2015 campaign.
 
Freshman pitcher Haylee Smith started the contest for the Eagles' in the circle, lasting 6.1 innings, giving up one earned run on nine hits before being replaced by Sarah Owens. Owens came in to get the Eagles out of a jam and did exactly that. The Indianapolis native pitched the final 1.2 innings, earning the victory, allowing no runs, hits, or walks, and striking out one on a total of 17 pitches to move to 14-5 on the season.
 
USI returns to action Sunday as the Eagles wrap up the regular season with a doubleheader on Senior Day against the sixth-ranked University of Missouri-St. Louis Tritons at USI Softball Field at noon and 2 p.m. The Eagles will honor their three seniors, Toni Braun, Janna Green, and Sarah Owens, after the conclusion of the two contests