EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball claimed its third Ohio Valley Conference series win of the season on Sunday after splitting a doubleheader against Southeast Missouri State University at USI Softball Field, as the Screaming Eagles clinched the series with a 2-0 win before falling 10-5 in the series finale.
USI Softball (10-16, 7-2 OVC) sealed the series victory with its first shutout win of the season in Sunday's first game and the middle game of the series. Southeast Missouri (7-20, 3-5 OVC) snapped a seven-game losing streak after rallying back to win the series finale.
Offense was at a premium in Sunday's first game, but USI got on the scoreboard early with a first-inning run off an RBI double by junior infielder
Sydney Long to score freshman outfielder
Katelyn Marx.
The middle innings featured a pitcher's duel between USI freshman pitcher
Anna Kemp and Southeast Missouri's left-handed hurler Willow Van Haren. However, the Screaming Eagles doubled their lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning on an RBI single from Long that scored senior outfielder
Caroline Stapleton.
The 2-0 USI advantage held for the rest of the contest, as Kemp handed the ball off to sophomore pitcher
Kylie Witthaus for the final 1.2 innings.
The two sides combined for six hits in the opening game of Sunday's twin bill. Long led the way for USI with two hits and two RBIs.
In the pitching circle, Kemp (3-6) earned the win behind 5.1 shutout innings before Witthaus kept the shutout intact and tallied her third save of the season.
The Redhawks' Van Haren (1-6) went the distance and struck out four while allowing two runs and one earned.
Offense was also hard to come by at the start of game two on Sunday. SEMO's Maddie Carney and USI's freshman pitcher
Elly Robbins threw up zeroes through four and a half innings.
The Eagles worked some quality at-bats in the bottom of the fifth and chased Carney in the middle of the frame. USI scored the first run on a bases-loaded walk by Marx as the fourth-straight one-out baserunner to reach. Despite a SEMO pitching change, the Screaming Eagles extended their 1-0 advantage to 4-0 off a hit-by-pitch, a sac fly, and a wild pitch.
However, Southeast Missouri responded in a big way in the top of the sixth inning. The Redhawks rallied with 10 runs on seven hits in the inning to surge ahead, 10-4. Even though USI got one run back on an RBI single by Stapleton in the sixth, Southeast Missouri held on for the win to avoid a series sweep.
The Redhawks finished with 13 hits, while USI totaled five. Stapleton led the Eagles with two hits in the contest. The top four of USI's batting order each registered an RBI.
Robbins wound up with a no-decision in the start for USI, going 5.1 innings and striking out three while giving up five runs and two earned. Witthaus (2-5), who came on in relief, suffered the loss with five runs – one earned – surrendered. Kemp threw the last 1.1 innings scoreless.
Southeast Missouri's Carney also took a no-decision, allowing five runs – all earned – in 6.1 innings of work with three strikeouts. Elliott Stinson (3-5) picked up the win in relief.
The Screaming Eagles continue Ohio Valley Conference play on the road next weekend at Lindenwood University. The three-game set starts Saturday at 3 p.m. from St. Charles, Missouri, and concludes Sunday with a Noon doubleheader. Coverage information is available on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.
