Aces drop Saturday opener to Salukis

Game two halted due to weather

 

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Southern Illinois opened Saturday’s doubleheader with an 8-6 victory over the University of Evansville softball team before game two was halted with the Salukis holding a 6-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth.

 

Game One – Southern Illinois 8, UE 6

Elisabeth Huckleberry opened the scoring with a solo home run in the top of the second.  Evansville tied it up in the bottom of the third when Zoe Frossard looked to be caught in a rundown before an error on the Salukis helped her score the tying run.  Marah Wood picked up UE’s first hit of the game to score Mackenzie McFeron to put the Aces up, 2-1.

It took just one pitch in the fourth for SIU to tie it up as Rylie Hamilton hit a solo shot to center.  The top of the fifth saw the Salukis plate three runs to go up by a 5-2 score.  Capping off the scoring in the frame was an RBI triple by Aubree DePron.

Evansville refused to give up and McFeron made it happen in the bottom of the fifth.  After leading off with a triple, she scored on Wood’s second RBI hit of the game, cutting the deficit to 5-3.  Elizabeth Warwick countered in the next half inning, belting the third long ball of the day for SIU, a 3-run launch to center, to extend the lead to 8-3.

UE made a final gasp in the seventh with the first two batters earning walks before a long single by Jenna Lis scored a pair.  Jenna Nink added an RBI groundout, but the deficit was too much to overcome with the Salukis earning an 8-6 win.  Wood had two hits and two RBI in the game while Lis matched Wood’s RBI tally.  Sarah Harness recorded the win for SIU, tossing six frames while Izzy Vetter suffered the loss.

 

Game Two

Four hits in the top of the first saw SIU take the early 2-0 lead before they added a third run in the second.  In the third, Southern Illinois made it a 5-0 game as their ninth hit padded the lead.  Jenny Jansen led the fourth off with a home run off the scoreboard for the sixth run of the day.  SIU scored in each of the opening four frames.

As UE was set to bat in the bottom of the fifth, lightning halted play before rain started to fall.  The remainder of the game will take place on Sunday at 11 a.m. before the third game of the series begins.  Senior Day festivities will be held following the final game on Sunday.