Schoolcraft hit a solo home run to break a scoreless tie in the top of the fourth inning of the Screaming Eagles’ 2-1, 10-inning win over Southern Wesleyan University in the opening game before hitting a double and a walk-off, RBI-single in USI’s 1-0, eight-inning win over Gannon University.
USI (2-0) capitalized on the international tie-breaker rule in the 10th inning against Southern Wesleyan as senior shortstop Taylor Ricketts had a sacrifice fly to push across the go-ahead run. Freshman pitcher/first baseman Allie Goodin, meanwhile, was impressive in a relief appearance.
Goodin (1-0) blanked the Warriors on three hits and a walk in six innings of work to pick up her first career collegiate win. The Evansville native and Mater Dei graduate racked up four strikeouts, while helping herself at the plate with a hit in her first regular-season collegiate at-bat.
Senior All-American pitcher Jennifer Leonhardt (1-0) followed Goodin’s effort with her school-record 34th career complete-game shutout in USI’s win over Gannon. Leonhardt overcame some early control issues to strikeout nine batters, all while allowing just three hits to earn her 77th career win.
Offensively, the Eagles were limited to just two hits, a Leonhardt double in the third and bunt single in the sixth, as they went into the last half of the seventh inning trying to break the scoreless tie. Schoolcraft’s double in the seventh helped the Eagles load the bases with no outs, but their offense failed to push the winning run across the plate as Gannon was able to force an extra frame with a pair of ground ball outs and a strikeout.
The game looked as if it would head to the ninth inning before a two-out single by junior outfielder Alicia Webb kept USI’s eighth frame alive. Freshman catcher/infielder Sammie Kihega drew a walk in the next at-bat to put Webb into scoring position, while Schoolcraft hit the first pitch she saw down the leftfield line to score Webb and end the game with checkmark in the Eagles’ win column.
USI returns to action Saturday at 3 p.m. (CDT) when it takes on No. 16 and tournament host University of North Georgia. The Eagles end the second day of The Cottrell Foundation Loyal Blue Classic with a bout against No. 8 West Chester University at 5 p.m.
