University of Southern Indiana Softball hit a combined six home runs Monday afternoon to sweep a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader from host Quincy University.
Sophomore outfielder Allison Schubert (Nicholasville, Kentucky) went deep twice in the opener as the Eagles took game one, 7-5; while junior second baseman Claire Johnson (Pittsboro, Indiana) hit a grand slam in USI’s 8-5, game two victory.
The Screaming Eagles (19-16, 8-8 GLVC) return to action Saturday at noon when they host Rockhurst University in a GLVC twinbill at the USI Softball Field.
Game 1: USI 7, Quincy 5 (Box Score)
USI used back-to-back home runs on two occasions to rally from a 2-0 deficit and earn the 7-5 victory in the opener.
After spotting Quincy a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning, the Eagles tied the game as Schubert and senior third baseman Mena Fulton (Bloomington, Indiana) hit solo home runs in back-to-back plate appearances in the top of the fourth frame.
Junior outfielder Caitlyn Bradley (Forest, Indiana) had an RBI-single in the fifth frame to give USI a brief 3-2 lead; but Quincy answered with a solo home run of its own off the bat of Kay Bettendorf in the last half of the fifth to tie the score at 3-3.
Bradley, who was 2-for-4 with four RBIs in the opener, hit a three-run home run in the seventh to put the Eagles on top, 6-3; while Schubert hit her second home run and team-leading 10th of the year in the ensuing at-bat to give USI a four-run cushion.
Quincy (13-21, 3-13 GLVC) got a two-out, two-run home run from Remi Ferguson in the bottom of the seventh inning; but that was as close as the Hawks would get as sophomore pitcher Jennifer Leonhardt (Louisville, Kentucky) closed the door on the home team.
Leonhardt (9-8) was dominate in the circle in 4 2/3 innings of relief work. Despite giving up three runs off four hits and three walks, Leonhardt set down 10 batters on strikeouts. The first eight outs the Eagles recorded with Leonhardt in the circle were strikeouts.
Game 2: USI 8, Quincy 5 (Box Score)
Highlighted by Johnson’s grand slam, USI scored six times in the top of the second inning to build a 6-0 lead. USI also got RBI’s from senior outfielder Olivia Clark-Kittleson (Carbondale, Illinois) and Fulton as it took a 6-0 lead into the last half of the second inning.
USI added another tally in the top of the fifth to take a 7-0 lead with an RBI-single by sophomore shortstop Taylor Ricketts (Georgetown, Kentucky); while Quincy got on the scoreboard with a tally in the last half of the fifth.
Schubert’s third home run of the day gave USI an 8-1 lead in the sixth; but Quincy responded with four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to make things interesting.
The Hawks brought the tying run to the plate in Ferguson, who had hit a two-run home run off Leonhardt in the seventh inning of game one. Leonhardt, who came into the game to face Ferguson with two outs and runners at first and second, was up to the task as she induced a fly ball out to earn her second save of the year.
Junior pitcher Haylee Smith (Florence, Kentucky) earned the win after giving up five runs, four earned, off nine hits in 6 2/3 innings of work. Smith (3-3) had one strikeout while issuing just one walk.
