University of Southern Indiana Softball saw one-run leads slip away in game one and game two as it suffered a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference setbacks to No. 12 University of Indianapolis Sunday afternoon at the USI Softball Field.
The Screaming Eagles (14-13, 3-5 GLVC) fell, 5-2, in the opener before suffering an 8-1 loss in the nightcap.
Senior third baseman Mena Fulton (Bloomington, Indiana) led the Screaming Eagles offensively after going a combined 6-of-7 at the plate with a pair of doubles, an RBI and a run scored.
USI returns to action Friday at noon when it takes on the University of Illinois Springfield in a GLVC doubleheader.
Game 1: Indianapolis 5, USI 2 (Box Score)
USI used a two-out rally in the top of the first inning to build a 1-0 lead, but a three-run home run by UIndy junior designated player Shannon Schuetz in the last half of the second inning gave the Greyhounds a 3-1 lead they would not relinquish.
Junior second baseman Claire Johnson (Pittsboro, Indiana) had an RBI-double in the fourth frame to cut UIndy’s lead to 3-2; but solo home runs in the fifth and sixth innings gave the Greyhounds a comfortable three-run cushion.
Fulton was 3-of-4 at the plate, including an RBI-single in the first inning, to lead the Eagles’ offensively. Missed opportunities haunted the Eagles throughout the contest as they stranded 10 runners on base.
Sophomore pitcher Jennifer Leonhardt (Louisville, Kentucky) was charged the loss after surrendering five runs off six hits in six innings of work. Leonhardt (6-7) racked up nine strikeouts in the loss.
Game 2: Indianapolis 8, USI 1 (Box Score)
After taking a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly by sophomore shortstop Taylor Ricketts (Georgetown, Kentucky) in the top of the fourth inning, the Eagles saw the Greyhounds strike for eight runs off five hits in the last half of the fourth inning to break the game open.
UIndy (25-5, 9-1 GLVC) capitalized on a pair of errors in the fourth inning and got a grand slam off the bat of junior third baseman Taylor Podschweit to put an exclamation point on the frame.
Fulton, once again, led the Eagles at the plate with a 3-for-3 effort that included a pair of doubles and a run scored.
Junior pitcher Courtney Atkisson (Bringhurst, Indiana) was charged with the loss after giving up eight runs, off six hits in four innings of work. Atkisson (5-3) had a strikeout and four walks in the loss.
