Freshman hurler Jennifer Leonhardt (Louisville, Kentucky) set a new single-season record for wins Friday as No. 9 University of Southern Indiana Softball defeated No. 22 Saginaw Valley State University, 6-4, to reach the championship game of the NCAA II Midwest Region #2 Tournament.

Leonhardt (26-2) earned her program-best 26^th win of the year, breaking a tie between herself and USI Hall of Famer Amy Stetler. She struck out seven batters and issued just one walk, giving up four unearned runs off six hits in seven innings of work.

USI (43-12) wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as an RBI-single by senior catcher Haley Hodges (Portage, Indiana) and a fielding error plated a pair of runs to put the Screaming Eagles in front, 2-0, in the bottom of the first inning.

Saginaw Valley State (36-15) capitalized on a fielding error in the top of the third inning to score its first run of the contest, while a three-run home run off the bat of sophomore shortstop Aubree Mouthaan moments later put the Cardinals up, 4-2.

The Eagles, however, roared back in the bottom of the third inning as Hodges hit a two-run blast over the leftfield fence to tie the score at 4-4; while a two-run single by Leonhardt four batters later put the Eagles back in front.

Saginaw Valley State threatened with runners at the corners and one out in the top of the seventh inning, but Leonhardt struck out a batter and induced a pop-up to get out of the jam and get the Eagles to within a win of their first-ever appearance in the NCAA II Midwest Super-Regional.

USI faces the winner of the elimination game between Saginaw Valley State and Grand Valley State University Saturday at noon. The Eagles will have two chances Saturday to advance to the NCAA II Midwest Super-Regional, which is May 18-19 at the highest remaining seed.

Grand Valley State (33-17), which defeated the University of Indianapolis (33-21), 1-0, in an elimination game Friday, are playing Saginaw Valley State Friday evening for the right to advance to Saturday’s championship.

Southern Indiana 6, Saginaw Valley State 4 (May 12, 2017 at Evansville, IN)

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Saginaw Valley State 004 000 0 -  4  6  2      (36-15)

Southern Indiana…. 204 000 X -  6  9  2      (43-12)

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Pitchers: Saginaw Valley State – Sam Willman; Annie Hansen(3) and Julia Miller.

Southern Indiana – Leonhardt, Jennifer and Hodges, Haley.

Win-Leonhardt, Jennifer(26-2)  Loss-Sam Willman(20-7)  T-1:40  A-124

HR SV – Aubree Mouthaan (10).

HR USI – Hodges, Haley (11).

Weather: cloudy

1. Willman faced 6 batters in the 3rd.

Game: 55-NCAA

The Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament came to an end for the 20th-ranked University of Southern Indiana baseball team Friday as it fell to the University of Illinois Springfield, 7-1, Friday afternoon at U.S. Ballpark in Ozark, Missouri. USI, the top seed from the GLVC East Division, watched its record go to 32-19 overall, while Illinois Springfield, the third-seed from the GLVC East Division, goes to 32-20.

The Screaming Eagles must wait until Sunday night to receive word on an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament and the Midwest Regional. NCAA II Midwest Regional pairings are set to be announced Sunday night at 9 p.m. (CDT) on NCAA.com.

The Eagles struck first with a tally in the first inning when junior leftfielder Drake McNamara (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) drove in junior rightfielder Nick Gobert (Jasper, Indiana) with an RBI-single. USI would hold that lead until the fourth when Illinois Springfield pushed a pair of runs across the plate.

The Prairie Stars would add three runs in the seventh and two in the eighth to insure the victory.

McNamara led the Eagle batters in the loss with three hits and the lone RBI. Gobert followed with a pair of hits and the lone tally.

On the mound, senior right-hander Colin Nowak (Carol Stream, Illinois) took the loss. Nowak (6-4) allowed four runs, two earned, on 10 hits and a walk, while striking out three in six-plus innings.

Senior right-hander Justin Watts (Bryan, Ohio) finished the game on the mound for the Eagles, throwing the final two innings. Watts gave up three runs on six hits, striking out one.

After five changes to the first pitch due to weather, the 20th-ranked University of Southern Indiana baseball team could not overcome a four-run fifth by William Jewell College and was upset, 7-3, in the first round of the GLVC Tournament Thursday afternoon at U.S. Ballpark in Ozark, Missouri. USI, the top seed from the GLVC East Division, watched its record go to 32-18 overall, while William Jewell, the fourth-seed from the GLVC West Division, goes to 22-25.

With the loss, the Screaming Eagles move into the lower have of the bracket and will play an elimination game versus the University of Illinois Springfield Friday at 12:30 p.m. The Prairie Stars, the three-seed from the GLVC East, lost their opening game, 10-1, to Quincy University, the two-seed from the GLVC West.

William Jewell and USI, both, struck for a run in the opening frame with the Eagles scoring on a sacrifice fly by junior shortstop Sam Griggs (Evansville, Indiana). The game would remain tied 1-1 until the fifth inning when the Cardinals exploded for four runs to take a 5-1 lead. William Jewell would add a tally in the seventh up its lead to 6-1.

The Eagles rallied to cut the lead in the bottom half of the seventh when junior rightfielder Nick Gobert (Jasper, Indiana) doubled in a run to cut the deficit to 6-2. Griggs would strike again for the Eagles in the ninth with an RBI-single to make the score 7-3 after William Jewell added an insurance run in the top half of the frame.

Gobert, senior designated hitter Jaylen Quarles (Indianapolis, Indiana), and sophomore catcher Logan Brown (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) finished with two hits each in the game to lead the Eagle bats. Griggs also had a team-high two RBIs in the loss.

The USI outfield defense was outstanding in the game with Gobert and junior leftfielder Drake McNamara (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) combining to throw three Cardinals out at the plate. McNamara and Gobert threw out back-to-back runners in the sixth.

USI senior right-hander Lucas Barnett (Sellersburg, Indiana) started and took the loss for the Eagles. Barnett (6-2) allowed five runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings, striking out three.

Barnett was followed to the mound by freshman right-hander Tyler Hagedorn (Evansville, Indiana) and sophomore left-hander Chase Partain (Evansville, Indiana). Hagedorn allowed one run on four hits in 1.1 innings, while Partain finished the game by allowing a run on two hits and a walk in 2.2 frames on the bump.