COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – University of Southern Indiana Softball won a tight 2-1 ballgame on Sunday afternoon to capture an Ohio Valley Conference road series win at Tennessee Tech University.
 
USI Softball (13-22, 10-8 OVC) claimed its second series win on the road in OVC play and exited the weekend in a tie for fifth in the OVC standings. Meanwhile, Tennessee Tech (14-24, 11-7 OVC) suffered its second series loss in a row to position itself third in the conference standings.
 
Sunday's series rubber match began with USI freshman pitcher Mia Kiegel making her first career start and striking out two in the first inning. Even though Tennessee Tech scratched across a run to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second, Kiegel and the Screaming Eagles limited the scoring to the solo run.
 
USI responded quickly in the top of the third inning. With two outs in the frame, senior outfielder Caroline Stapleton and junior infielder Sydney Long delivered two RBI singles to give the Screaming Eagles a 2-1 advantage.
 
After taking a 2-1 lead, USI's pitching staff kept the Golden Eagles scoreless for the rest of the game, working around baserunners in three of the final four innings.
 
Kiegel (1-0) earned her first career win after striking out four with one run allowed in four innings of work. Freshman pitcher Anna Kemp went 2.2 innings in relief before handing the ball over to sophomore pitcher Kylie Witthaus for the final out. Witthaus picked up her fourth save of the season.
 
Offensively, USI totaled six hits, with the top four of the batting order tallying a hit.
 
Tennessee Tech starting pitcher Faith Rush (3-2) was dealt the loss, surrendering two runs and one earned in three innings pitched. Rush was followed by Ella Wampler, who tossed the last four innings scoreless for the Golden Eagles.
 
Next, the Screaming Eagles will head to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville for a critical series next weekend for the second half of USI's two-week road swing in OVC play. The series is scheduled to begin on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. before concluding with a Sunday doubleheader at Noon. The three-game set can be seen with an ESPN+ subscription. Additional coverage and live stat links are available on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.