Sophomore catcher/infielder Sammie Kihega (Greenfield, Indiana) went 3-of-6 at the plate with a pair of doubles and a run scored to pace USI offensively, while sophomore pitcher/first baseman Allie Goodin (Evansville, Indiana) went 1-1 in the circle with a 1.00 ERA and seven strikeouts.
Game 1: Wingate 2, USI 1
Wingate (5-3) capitalized on a pair of USI errors in the last half of the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead. The Eagles, who struggled at the plate throughout the first five innings, rallied in the sixth frame as a lead-off walk, coupled with a Kihega single and an RBI-double by Goodin tied the game at 1-1.
USI (1-1) had a chance to take the lead in the sixth frame, as it had runners at second and third with one out, but Wingate was able to get out of the jam to preserve the tie. The Eagles also got a two-out double from senior outfielder Alicia Webb (Elberfeld, Indiana) in the seventh frame, but could not push across the go-ahead run.
The Bulldogs took advantage of a lead-off walk in the home half of the seventh to win the game. After a sacrifice bunt and a strikeout, Wingate third baseman Sam Hogan singled through the right side of the USI infield to push across the game-winning run.
Goodin took the loss in the opener after giving up two runs, one earned, off six hits in 6.2 innings of work.
Game 2: USI 8, Wingate 7
After giving up four runs in the top of the fourth inning to fall behind, 7-3, the Eagles scored four times in the home half of the fifth inning to tie the score at 7-7. Webb pushed across the first run with an RBI-single, while the second run was scored off of a pair of Wingate errors two batters later. Sophomore shortstop Jordan Rager (Fishers, Indiana) followed with a two-run double down the leftfield line to pull the Eagle into the tie.
Wingate threatened in the top of the seventh inning, but Goodin came into the circle to get USI out of a jam and keep the game tied up at 7-7.
Kihega’s two-out double in the last half of the seventh inning got the Eagles’ in position to win in walk-off style. Senior outfielder Jessica Tucker (Georgetown, Kentucky) pinch-ran for Kihega and, after advancing to third base on a wild pitch, scored when Goodin reached first base on an error in the next at-bat.
Goodin picked up the win for the Eagles, but it was junior pitcher Elissa Brown (Brownsburg, Indiana) who was outstanding in the circle for a better part of four relief innings. Brown limited the Bulldogs to just one hit while striking out seven batters in 3.2 innings of work.
Wingate began the game by scoring runs in the first, second and third innings before erupting for four runs in the fourth frame to take the 7-3 lead. Goodin put the Eagles on the board with an RBI-single in the second inning, while an RBI-triple by sophomore second baseman Rachel Martinez (Chicago, Illinois) and a sacrifice fly by Webb in the bottom of the third pulled the Eagles into a 3-3 tie.
