CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – After coming back to tie the game in the sixth inning, University of Southern Indiana Softball came up just shy in a 5-4, seventh-inning heartbreaker against Central Michigan University on Sunday.
USI Softball (3-14) returned to Clarksville, Tennessee, on Sunday morning to conclude the weekend in Tennessee as part of the Governors Classic against Central Michigan.
Following two scoreless innings, the Screaming Eagles broke the 0-0 deadlock in the top of the third inning when freshman outfielder
Katelyn Marx tripled to score sophomore first baseman
Lilly Brown. Marx scored in the next at-bat to double the USI lead to 2-0 on a sacrifice by junior infielder
Sydney Long.
However, Central Michigan got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning with two runs to tie the game and then scored twice more in the bottom of the fifth to go ahead, 4-2.
USI fought back in the top of the sixth inning. Following a pair of one-out walks, freshman infielder
Jadyn Tinsley singled in a run to cut the deficit down to one, 4-3. In the next at-bat, junior outfielder
Angelia Davis put the ball in play and drove in the game-tying run to even the score, 4-4.
Despite USI's comeback effort in the sixth, Central Michigan loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh inning and won the game on a wild pitch.
Sophomore pitcher
Kylie Witthaus made the start in the circle and went 4.2 innings, allowing four runs – only two earned – with a pair of strikeouts in the no-decision. Freshman pitcher
Anna Kemp (1-5) suffered the hard-luck loss after tossing 1.2 innings in relief.
For Central Michigan, starting pitcher Brooklyn Compau hurled 5.1 innings and surrendered four runs off four hits and struck out eight in a no-decision. Cierra Laska (1-0) finished off the game with 1.2 innings of work toward the win.
The Screaming Eagles will look ahead to snap the recent skid by opening its Ohio Valley Conference and home schedule next weekend against Tennessee State University at USI Softball Field. The series is slated for a Saturday doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. with the series finale on Sunday at Noon. Next weekend will be Educators Appreciation Weekend at USI Softball Field, with all USI educators and professors invited to come support the Screaming Eagles.
All three games next weekend can be seen with an ESPN+ subscription. Additional coverage and live stat links are available on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com. Admission to all USI Softball home games is free thanks to ProRehab.
