University of Southern Indiana Softball settled for a split on the final day of the Midwest Region Crossover. The Screaming Eagles opened the day with an 11-1, five-inning victory over Hillsdale College, but fell to Saginaw Valley State University, 4-3.
Senior catcher Haley Hodges (Portage, Indiana) and junior outfielder Olivia Clark-Kittleson (Carbondale, Illinois) each had four hits and a .667 batting average on the day to lead the Eagles, offensively.
Sophomore outfielder Caitlyn Bradley (Forest, Indiana) and sophomore second baseman Claire Johnson (Pittsboro, Indiana) had four and three RBIs, respectively, as USI ended the weekend with a 7-1 record.
Southern Indiana (7-1): 11, Hillsdale (3-5): 1
USI broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the third inning when Hodges and senior shortstop Lexi Reese (Lebanon, Indiana) hit back-to-back solo home runs to kick-start an eight-run inning for the Eagles in their 11-1, five-inning win over Hillsdale.
Johnson’s two-run single later in the frame put the Eagles up, 4-0, while Clark-Kittleson’s RBI-single in the next at-bat put USI up 5-0. Bradley followed with a two-run single, while junior Alex Logan (Carleton, Michigan) wrapped up the inning with a pinch-hit, RBI-double.
Sophomore pitcher Courtney Atkisson (Bringhurst, Indiana) saw her bid for a no-hitter end in the fourth inning as Hillsdale’s Haley Lawrence homered to centerfield. Atkisson (3-0) earned the win after allowing the one run off one hit.
USI answered Hillsdale’s tally in the bottom of the fourth as Bradley had a two-run double to put the Eagles up, 10-1. The Eagles took advantage of an error to cap off the three-run fourth inning as they went onto the five-inning victory.
Saginaw Valley State (6-5): 4, Southern Indiana: 3
Despite getting solo home runs from Johnson and junior first baseman Marleah Fossett (Brownsburg, Indiana), the Eagles suffered their first setback of the season as Saginaw Valley State won, 4-3, on a walk-off passed ball in the bottom of the seventh inning.
USI took a 1-0 lead on Fossett’s solo shot in the top of the second inning. Junior third baseman Mena Fulton (Bloomington, Indiana) doubled in the next at-bat and scored two batters later on a throwing error to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead.
Saginaw Valley State (6-5) cut the Eagles’ lead in half with a two-out hit in the bottom of the second inning, while a two-run home run with two outs in the fourth inning put the Cardinals up, 3-2.
Johnson’s solo home run in the fifth inning tied the contest at 3-3, but the Eagles failed to push a run across the plate in the sixth inning despite having runners at first and second with one out.
The Cardinals got a leadoff single from shortstop Meredith Rousse in the seventh. Rousse advanced to second on a wild pitch and went to third when Clark-Kittleson robbed third baseman Courtney Reeves of a home run.
Rousse eventually scored on a passed ball in the next at-bat to give the Cardinals the 4-3 victory.
USI returns to action March 4-10 when it travels to Clermont, Florida, to take part in The Spring Games.
