WESTFIELD, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Softball rallied past Midwest Region foe Ferris State University for a 9-8 win after suffering a 5-1 setback to regional opponent Ohio Dominican University in its opening game of the day at Grand Park.
 
The win over the Bulldogs (0-4) snapped a three-game losing streak for the No. 9 Screaming Eagles, who end the day with a 6-4 overall record and a 3-3 mark on the weekend.
 
Senior first baseman Marleah Fossett (Brownsburg, Indiana) went 4-of-7 with a double and an RBI to lead the Eagles at the plate while junior pitcher Courtney Atkisson (Bringhurst, Indiana) was 3-of-6 with a double and three RBIs.
 
USI returns to action Saturday at 8 a.m. (CST) when it takes on Cedarville University at the PFX Spring Games in Clermont, Florida.
 
Ohio Dominican 5, USI 1
Back-to-back hits to lead off the last half of the first inning led to a pair of runs for Ohio Dominican as USI fell into a quick 2-0 hole.
 
Atkisson had an RBI-single in the top of the second frame to cut the deficit in half; but the Panthers (6-5) posted tallies in the third, fourth and sixth frames to ensure the Eagles' third straight loss.
 
Sophomore hurler Jennifer Leonhardt (Louisville, Kentucky) was tagged with the loss after giving up five runs, three earned, off six hits in six innings of work. Leonhardt (3-2) struck out four batters and issued one walk in the loss.
 
USI 9, Ferris State 8
Seven different players recorded RBIs for the Eagles, who rallied from three deficits to earn the 9-8 win.
 
Ferris State led 4-0, 5-2, 7-5 and 8-7, but a two-run fifth inning that featured an RBI-triple by junior second baseman Claire Johnson (Pittsboro, Indiana) and an RBI-single by Leonhardt gave the Eagles the 9-8 lead.
 
Junior pitcher Haylee Smith (Florence, Kentucky) came into the circle in the sixth to retire six straight batters and earn her first save of the year.
 
Atkisson (2-0), who was 2-of-3 with a double and two RBIs, earned the win despite surrendering eight runs, two earned, off 10 hits in five innings of work.
 
The Eagles scored once in the last half of the first and second innings; then got three runs in the third frame to tie the contest at 5-5. They scored two more runs in the fourth inning to tie the game at 7-7; then scored twice in the fifth to grab their first lead of the contest.

Notes: Johnson's triple in the fifth inning was the Eagles' 10th of the year and her GLVC-best fourth of the season...Johnson is currently on a team-best nine-game hitting streak.