EAST PEORIA, Ill.—University of Southern Indiana Softball Head Coach Sue Kunkle became the first coach in school history to earn 500 career wins Thursday as the Screaming Eagles earned a pair of wins on the opening day of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship Tournament Thursday.
 
The Eagles (29-22) defeated the University of Indianapolis (37-17), 4-0, in the opener before blanking No. 25 McKendree University (38-15), 10-0, in five innings.
 
USI advances in the winner's bracket to take on the No. 4 seed and defending GLVC champion, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Friday at 1 p.m. The winner of that contest punches a ticket into Saturday's championship round, while the loser will play an elimination game Saturday at 5 p.m.
 
Game 1: USI 4, Indianapolis 0
Sophomore pitcher Jennifer Leonhardt (Louisville, Kentucky) tossed a one-hit shutout as the Eagles rolled to the 4-0 win over Indianapolis in the opening round of the GLVC Tournament.
 
The Eagles played small ball to plate their first run of the game in the top of the first inning. After a lead-off walk and a sacrifice bunt, sophomore outfielder Allison Schubert (Nicholasville, Kentucky) hit a two-out, RBI-single to give USI the 1-0 lead.
 
USI took advantage of a lead-off single in the fourth inning as sophomore shortstop Taylor Ricketts (Georgetown, Kentucky) came through with a two-out, RBI-single to put the Eagles up 2-0.
 
The Eagles used four hits, including two-out, RBI-singles by freshman pinch hitter Haley Shouse (Borden, Indiana) and junior second baseman Claire Johnson (Pittsboro, Indiana), to extend their lead to 4-0 in the seventh inning.
 
Leonhardt (15-11), meanwhile, racked up eight strikeouts and allowed just three base runners as she picked up her fourth complete-game shutout of the year and the 15th of her career.
 
Game 2: USI 10, #25 McKendree 0 (5)
USI erupted for seven first-inning runs and racked up a season-high 16 hits as it cruised to a 10-0 win in five innings.
 
The first six batters the Eagles sent to the plate in the first inning recorded hits, with Schubert recording a two-run single. Senior third baseman Mena Fulton (Bloomington, Indiana) had an RBI-single as did sophomore outfielder/pitcher Caitlyn Bradley (Forest, Indiana); while senior first baseman Marleah Fossett (Brownsburg, Indiana) had an RBI-double.
 
Senior outfielder Olivia Clark-Kittleson (Carbondale, Illinois) and Leonhardt also had RBI-singles in the first inning, while Leohnardt and Johnson each had two of the Eagles' nine hits in the first frame.
 
USI tacked on another run on a sacrifice fly by junior catcher Lindsey Barr (Whitesville, Kentucky) in the second inning; while Bradley and Schubert had RBI-singles in the third.
 
Bradley (2-1) combined with junior pitcher Haley Smith (Florence, Kentucky) to record USI's second shutout of the day. Smith started the game, allowing just two hits in two innings of work; while Bradley was credited with the win after scattering three hits throughout the final three innings.

Notes: This marks the second time in three years that the Eagles have advanced in the winner's bracket into second day of GLVC Tournament action…the Eagles will be trying to secure their first trip to the GLVC Championship round since the 2002 campaign.