University of Southern Indiana Softball defeated No. 7 Grand Valley State University, 5-0, in a battle of Midwest Region and Top 25 teams Monday night to cap off a perfect day at The Spring Games. The Screaming Eagles opened the day with a 3-2 win over Wilmington University (Delaware).
USI returns to action Wednesday when it takes on Concordia College (New York) at 8 a.m. (CST) and Wane State College (Nebraska) at 10:30 a.m.
#13 Southern Indiana (11-3) 3, Wilmington (Del.) (3-4) 2
Senior outfielder Grace Clark (Indianapolis, Indiana) went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs as the Eagles held on for a 3-2 win over Wilmington University (Delaware) to open their third day at The Spring Games.
Sophomore utility player Caitlyn Bradley (Forest, Indiana) had a no-hitter going six innings before the Wildcats broke through with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning to make things interesting.
Bradley (3-0) earned the complete-game victory after giving up just two runs, one earned, off two hits. She had six strikeouts and no walks.
USI built a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when Clark hit her third home run of the season over the centerfield fence. Her RBI-single in the sixth inning put USI up, 2-0, while sophomore second baseman Claire Johnson (Pittsboro, Indiana) drove in the third run and eventual game-winner with an infield single in the sixth inning.
Wilmington had runners at first and third base in the seventh inning when Bradley induced an infield pop-up to get the third out and secure the victory.
#13 Southern Indiana 5, #7 Grand Valley State (3-5) 0
Freshman pitcher Jennifer Leonhardt (Louisville, Kentucky) tossed a two-hit shutout as USI Softball earned a 5-0 Midwest Region victory over No. 7 Grand Valley State.
USI jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a pair of two-out tallies in the top of the second inning. Junior third baseman Mena Fulton (Bloomington, Indiana) began the scoring with her third home run of the year, a solo shot to leftfield, while Leonhardt followed Clark’s double with an RBI-single to give USI the two-run cushion.
Senior catcher Haley Hodges (Portage, Indiana) put the Eagles up, 3-0, with an RBI-double in the third inning, while Bradley’s RBI-single in the fourth inning gave USI a 4-0 lead. USI tacked on another run in the fourth inning on a wild pitch as it cruised to the 5-0 victory.
Leonhardt (5-1) earned her second complete-game shutout of the year after retiring the final 19 batters she faced. Leonhardt, who had three strike outs and not walks, gave up a pair of first-inning hits before settling down to stymie the Laker hitters.
Southern Indiana 3, Wilmington (Del.) 2 (Mar 06, 2017 at Clermont, FL)
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Wilmington (Del.)… 000 000 2 -Â 2Â 2Â 1Â Â Â Â Â (3-4)
Southern Indiana…. 000 102 X -Â 3Â 8Â 3Â Â Â Â Â (10-3)
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Pitchers: Wilmington (Del.) – Caitlyn Whiteside and Mirabella Klebart. Southern Indiana –
Bradley, Caitlyn and Hodges, Haley.
Win-Bradley, Caitlyn(3-0)Â Loss-Caitlyn Whiteside(2-2)Â T-1:20Â A-124
HR USI – Clark, Grace (3).
Game: 13-TSG
Southern Indiana 5, Grand Valley State 0 (Mar 06, 2017 at Clermont, FL)
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Southern Indiana…. 021 200 0 -Â 5Â 7Â 1Â Â Â Â Â (11-3)
Grand Valley State.. 000 000 0 -Â 0Â 2Â 2Â Â Â Â Â (3-5)
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Pitchers: Southern Indiana – Leonhardt, Jennifer and Hodges, Haley. Grand Valley State –
Ellie Balbach; Allison Lipovsky(4) and Marianne Deppe; Jessica Ramos.
Win-Leonhardt, Jennifer(5-1)Â Loss-Ellie Balbach(1-1)Â T-1:45Â A-103
HR USI – Fulton, Mena (3).
Game: 14-TSG
