ST. CHARLES, Mo. – University of Southern Indiana Softball dropped both games of a road doubleheader at Lindenwood University on Sunday, falling 15-6 in five innings and 3-2, as the Lions completed a series sweep of the Screaming Eagles.
USI Softball (10-19, 7-5 OVC) suffered its first series loss in Ohio Valley Conference play with Sunday's results. Lindenwood (16-18, 5-7 OVC) moved its way up the conference standings with the sweep and second OVC series win of the season.
The Screaming Eagles jumped out quickly in game one of Sunday's doubleheader. An RBI double by freshman infielder
Jadyn Tinsley and an RBI single by sophomore designated player
Grace Huffman put USI ahead 2-0, chasing Lindenwood starting pitcher Lucy Pratt, who lasted only two-thirds of an inning to begin the game. Then junior catcher
Alyssa Mumaw drove in another run with a hit up the middle to give the Eagles a 3-0 advantage through the top of the first inning.
In the top of the second inning, USI stayed aggressive and took a 4-0 lead when senior outfielder
Caroline Stapleton rounded third base on an infield single by freshman outfielder
Katelyn Marx and slid in safely at home plate.
The momentum switched in Lindenwood's favor in the bottom of the third inning, as the Lions tallied all 15 of their runs and scattered all 12 of their hits in the inning to surge ahead, 15-4.
USI scored a run in the fourth and another in the fifth inning, but Lindenwood closed out the game to clinch the series.
The Eagles totaled 15 hits, with Tinsley, Mumaw, Marx, and junior outfielder
Kate Satkoski each registering two-hit games.
Freshman pitcher
Anna Kemp made the start and had a strong first two innings before Lindenwood's offense came to life in the third inning. Kemp was responsible for five runs in 2.1 innings pitched in the loss. All four active USI pitchers appeared in the contest, including freshman pitcher
Mia Kiegel, who made her career debut with a scoreless fourth inning and her first career strikeout.
Lindenwood's Molly Heidrick (1-3) got the win after coming on in relief of Pratt. Heidrick went 3.1 innings and allowed two runs and one earned. The Lions used three pitchers in the game.
Lindenwood carried over its momentum from the front end of the twin bill into the start of game two. The Lions scored once in the bottom of the first and twice in the home half of the third to lead 3-0 through three innings.
USI began to chip away at Lindenwood's lead in the top of the fifth inning. Satkoski doubled to get the Eagles into the hit column and then came around to score in the next at-bat on an RBI single by Mumaw, cutting the deficit down to 3-1.
The Screaming Eagles trimmed the margin down to a one-run difference, 3-2, in the top of the sixth inning when Tinsley lined a pitch back up the middle to score Marx from second base.
Despite a leadoff hit in the top of the seventh inning, Lindenwood held on for the 3-2 win after getting a game-ending double play.
USI tallied six hits, with Satkoski posting her second two-hit game of the day. Also, just like the first game on Sunday, Mumaw and Tinsley notched an RBI.
Kemp (3-8) also started the back end of Sunday's double dip, going three innings with three runs allowed. Freshman pitcher
Elly Robbins tossed three scoreless innings in relief.
Lindenwood starting pitcher Ryleigh Owens (4-5) picked up the win and went 5.2 innings with two runs allowed after holding USI hitless through the first four innings. Samantha Roulanaitis, who had the win in Saturday's complete-game shutout, collected her first save of the season after finishing off the last 1.1 innings of work for the Lions.
The Screaming Eagles return home to USI Softball Field at the end of the week for a three-game set against Morehead State University in Ohio Valley Conference play. The Easter weekend series starts with a Noon doubleheader on Friday and concludes on Saturday at Noon for the series finale. Coverage and live stat links are available on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.
