CHATHAM, Ill.—Despite racking up a combined nine runs on the day, University of Southern Indiana Softball lost both games of a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader to host University of Illinois Springfield Sunday afternoon.
The Screaming Eagles (2-9, 0-4 GLVC) lost an eight-inning heart-breaker, 8-7, in the opener before falling, 10-2, in five innings in game two.
Game One: UIS 8, USI 7 (8 innings)
USI jumped out to a 4-1 advantage heading into the last half of the fourth inning thanks to a pair of RBI by sophomore catcher
Sammie Kihega (Greenfield, Indiana) as well as RBI-doubles by sophomore shortstop
Jordan Rager (Fishers, Indiana) and freshman centerfielder
Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana).
Illinois Springfield (9-15, 4-4 GLVC), however, scored a run in the bottom of the fourth inning to cut USI's lead to 4-2 and erupted for four tallies in the fifth to jump out to a 6-4 lead.
USI cut the Prairie Stars' advantage in half thanks to a wild pitch with the bases loaded in the sixth inning. Rager, who was 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored in game one, followed with a two-run single to give USI a brief 7-6 advantage.
The Stars responded quickly with a tally in the home half of the sixth inning to tie the contest at 7-7.
USI loaded the bases in the seventh, but could not push across the go-ahead run, while the Stars had runners at first and second but could not score as the game went into extra frames.
Senior outfielder
Alicia Webb (Elberfeld, Indiana) got a two-out single in the eighth, but that was all the offense the Eagles could mount, giving the Stars an opportunity to win it in the last half of the inning.
Illinois Springfield got a two-out, pinch-hit, infield single from Jillian Mathis to push across the winning run. The hit was fielded by Rager in front of second base, but because the play took a while to develop, Mathis was able to beat out the throw, while Ashley Klinzing, who was on second base, got a great jump and came all the way in for the walk-off score.
Junior pitcher
Katie Back (Indianapolis, Indiana) took the loss for the Eagles after giving up six runs, five earned, off 11 hits in 4.1 innings of work.
Game Two: UIS 10, USI 2 (5 innings)
USI trailed 1-0 after two innings of play when Kihega put the Eagles on the scoreboard with an infield, RBI-single to score Bedrick in the third inning.
Illinois Springfield, however, scored seven times in the last half of the third inning to take a commanding 8-1 lead. The Stars added another tally in the fourth to extend their advantage to 9-1.
Webb, who was 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI in game two, had an RBI-double in the fifth to keep the Eagles' hopes alive. However, Illinois Springfield scored in the bottom of the fifth inning to win the game via the eight-run rule.
Back (0-4) was charged with the loss in game two after giving up seven runs off eight hits in 2.1 innings of work.
Up Next
USI opens its home schedule Saturday at noon when it hosts Quincy University in a GLVC doubleheader at the USI Softball Field. Fan attendance will be limited to two pre-determined guests per USI player/coach.
Notes
With hits in both games, Webb extended her career-high hitting streak to 15 games dating back to the end of the 2020 campaign…it is the longest hitting streak since Sunny Oelling hit safely in 15 consecutive games in 2004…Amber Huse owns the program record with a 27-game hitting streak in 1994.
