USI suffers pair of setbacks to open The Spring Games

MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. – University of Southern Indiana Softball suffered a pair of setbacks on Saturday to open its trip at The Spring Games, falling 7-1 to Quinnipiac University and 3-0 to Western Michigan University.
 
In Saturday’s first game, Quinnipiac (4-1) wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Quinnipiac quickly grabbed a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a bases-clearing double.
 
Down 4-0 going into the third frame, USI (3-9) scored a run on an infield RBI hit by senior outfielder Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana). However, Quinnipiac answered with two runs in the bottom half of the third to take a 6-1 advantage and did not look back the rest of the game.
 
USI scored one run on three hits, while Quinnipiac tallied seven runs off six hits.
 
In the circle, sophomore pitcher Raegan Gibson (Louisville, Kentucky) was charged with the loss and dropped to 0-2 this season. The right-hander allowed five runs in two innings pitched. Quinnipiac freshman pitcher Lauren Hilliard picked up her second win this season, tossing the last four innings scoreless.
 
In the afternoon contest against Western Michigan (5-5), it took a couple of innings for a run to score. Western Michigan threatened in the second inning with runners at second and third, but Southern Indiana got out of the jam.
 
The Broncos broke through in the third inning with a pair of runs off a two-out RBI single and a two-out RBI double. In the bottom of the third inning, USI had a chance to respond with runners at second and third and only one out, but the Screaming Eagles could not scratch across a run.
 
Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth, USI had another opportunity with the bases loaded but stranded the runners. Southern Indiana could not muster any momentum from that point.
 
USI was held scoreless with six hits, and Western Michigan posted three runs on nine hits. At the plate, junior pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) went 3-3 for the Screaming Eagles.
 
Newman also pitched all seven innings for USI, falling to 3-4 this season with the loss. Western Michigan’s junior pitcher Kailey O’Connor moved to 2-1 following the shutout effort.
 
USI takes the field again at The Spring Games on Sunday morning. The Screaming Eagles square off against Monmouth University at 9 a.m. CT and Sacred Heart University shortly after at 11:30 a.m. CT.
 
All games at The Spring Games can be seen with a subscription to FloSoftball. Live stats and coverage links can be found on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.