University of Southern Indiana Softball scored twice in the bottom of the seventh inning of game two to salvage a Midwest Region doubleheader split with visiting Kentucky Wesleyan College Tuesday night at the USI Softball Field.
Senior third baseman Mena Fulton (Bloomington, Indiana) led the Eagles at the plate, going a combined 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI.
The Screaming Eagles (24-17) return to action Saturday at noon when they travel to Rolla, Missouri, to take on Missouri University of Science & Technology in a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader.
Game 1: KWC 4, USI 3 (Box Score)
Kentucky Wesleyan (19-20) scored four unanswered runs to earn the 4-3 victory and snap the Eagles’ six-game winning streak.
The Eagles capitalized on an error in the bottom of the first inning to score a pair runs and take a 2-0 lead. Fulton and junior outfielder Caitlyn Bradley (Forest, Indiana) each had RBI-singles for the Eagles.
Sophomore outfielder Allison Schubert (Nicholasville, Kentucky) had an RBI-double in the third inning to put the Eagles up 3-0; but the Panthers capitalized on a pair of walks and an error to score a pair of runs in the fourth inning.
Kentucky Wesleyan used a pinch-hit, solo home run off the bat of junior Jaclyn Parker to tie the score in the sixth; while sophomore second baseman Lexi Mullen hit a solo home run in the seventh to put the Panthers up, 4-3.
Sophomore pitcher Jennifer Leonhardt (Louisville, Kentucky) was charged with the loss after giving up two runs off two hits. Leonhardt (12-9) racked up seven strikeouts and just one walk in three innings of relief work.
Game 2: USI 2, KWC 1 (Box Score)
Junior second baseman Claire Johnson (Pittsboro, Indiana) drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the seventh inning to push across the winning run after USI scored the tying run on a fielding error in the previous at-bat.
USI trailed 1-0 heading into the seventh inning after the Panthers scored in the top of the sixth inning on a passed ball. Schubert drew a walk to lead-off the inning, while Fulton had a bunt single to put runners at first and second with no outs.
Sophomore shortstop Taylor Ricketts (Georgetown, Kentucky) drew a one-out walk two batters later to load the bases. After a fly ball out failed to push across the tying run; senior outfielder Olivia Clark-Kittleson (Carbondale, Illinois) hit a ball to the shortstop that was mishandled, allowing the tying run to cross the plate.
The first three pitches to Johnson missed the strike zone and, following a strike, Johnson held up on a close pitch that missed the zone for ball four and the walk-off walk.
Junior pitcher Haylee Smith (Florence, Kentucky) earned the win after getting the Eagles out of a jam in the sixth inning. Smith (4-3) spelled Leonhardt, who gave up one run off four hits in five-plus innings of work, with runners at first and second and no outs in a one-run game in the sixth. She recorded outs against six of the eight batters she faced, allowing just two hits and fanning two batters.
