University of Southern Indiana Softball suffered a 4-0 setback to Bellarmine University in the elimination bracket of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship Tournament Friday morning.
USI (41-12) struggled to get anything going offensively as the No. 6 Screaming Eagles were held to just five hits in the contest. The Eagles did hit a few fly balls that likely would have cleared a standard 200-foot fence, but the contest was played on a 225-foot fence with the wind blowing in for much of the contest.
Bellarmine (28-27), meanwhile, capitalized on a throwing error in the top of the second inning to break a scoreless tie. The Knights added another tally in the third frame and two more in the fifth to build a comfortable four-run cushion.
Junior first baseman Marleah Fossett (Brownsburg, Indiana) led the Eagles at the plate, going 2-of-3 with a pair of singles, while sophomore pitcher/outfielder Caitlyn Bradley (Forest, Indiana) was charged with the loss. Bradley (7-4) allowed four runs, three earned, off nine hits in 4.1 innings of work. She struck out five batters and allowed just one walk.
The Eagles, who were the top seed in the GLVC Tournament and the No. 1 team in the final NCAA II Midwest Region rankings, learn their NCAA II Tournament fate when the NCAA II Selection Show is aired Monday at 9 a.m. (CDT) on NCAA.com.
