Rager goes deep twice, drives in eight as Eagles sweep Bulldogs

KIRKSVILLE, Mo.—Junior shortstop Jordan Rager (Fishers, Indiana) went a combined 4-of-5 with three walks, four runs scored, a triple, two home runs, including a grand slam, and eight RBI as University of Southern Indiana Softball rolled to a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader sweep over host Truman State University Saturday afternoon.
 
The Screaming Eagles (20-8, 6-0 GLVC) won the opener, 16-2, in five innings, before scoring 11 times in the top of the first inning of game two en route to an 11-2, five-inning win.
 
USI racked up a combined 26 hits and hit .491 as a team. The Eagles finished the day with six doubles, a triple, four home runs and 25 RBI.
 
In game one, junior pitcher Allie Goodin (Evansville, Indiana) had a solo home run and a two-run double in the first three frames as the Eagles jumped out to a 7-0 lead.
 
Truman (6-19, 1-9 GLVC) answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning, but USI respond with a six-run fourth frame that featured a two-run home run by Rager as well as one of sophomore first baseman Lexi Fair’s (Greenwood, Indiana) two RBI-doubles.
 
USI tacked on three more tallies in the fifth inning, giving Goodin plenty of cushion to secure the win in the circle.
 
Goodin (4-0) scattered two runs off five hits throughout five innings of work as she racked up seven strikeouts in the win.
 
The Eagles continued their offensive bombardment in the first inning of game two as they sent 15 batters to the plate en route to an 11-run inning. Rager had a two-run triple and a grand slam as USI put the win in the bag before Truman State could get a turn at the plate.
 
Fair began the scoring with her third RBI-double of the day, while Rager made the score 3-0 with her two-run triple. Junior second baseman Rachel Martinez (Chicago, Illinois) hit a two-run home run to make the score 5-0, while junior outfielder Emma Tucher (New Palestine, Indiana) drove in two more runs to put the Eagles up 7-0.
 
Rager’s grand slam finished the scoring for the Eagles, who coasted to their third straight run-rule victory.
 
Freshman pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) got the win in relief after blanking the Bulldogs in three innings of work. Newman (5-3) allowed just one walk while fanning seven batters en route to the victory.
 
USI returns to action Sunday at noon when it travels to Quincy, Illinois, to take on Quincy University in a GLVC doubleheader.