April 06, 2008
Kunkle becomes USI softball's winningest head coach with sweep,
Eagles blank Northern Kentucky twice
at Southern Indiana (23-15, 10-4 GLVC): 6, Northern Kentucky (11-19, 4-8 GLVC): 0
-Game 1 Box Score
at Southern Indiana: 7, Northern Kentucky: 0
-Game 2 Box Score
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Sue Kunkle |
EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The University of Southern Indiana softball team has a new leader atop its all-time career wins list by a head coach as
Sue Kunkle collected her 206th and 207th career victories with the Screaming Eagles' 6-0 and 7-0 wins over Northern Kentucky University Sunday at Cooper Stadium.
Kunkle, who took over the reigns of the USI softball program in the summer of 2001, moves past former skipper Beth Watson, who won 206 games from 1996-2001.
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Stephanie Schneider |
In game one, the Eagles (23-15, 10-4 GLVC) used a six-run second inning and a dominating pitching performance by junior hurler
Stephanie Schneider (Birdseye, Indiana) to record their first victory of the day.
Schneider (7-3) allowed just one hit to pick up her third straight decision and second consecutive complete-game shutout.
Offensively, the Eagles ripped the Norse for 14 hits, eight of which came in the second frame. USI started the second inning with back-to-back doubles followed by two straight RBI-singles by sophomore catcher
Tara McConnell (Henderson, Kentucky) and freshman second baseman
Dani Finkelstein (Windsor, Colorado).
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Kristin Eickholt |
Senior third baseman
Kristin Eickholt (Van Wert, Ohio), who was 3-for-4 in the contest with two doubles, put the Eagles up 5-0 with a three-run double later in the inning. She came around to score one batter later when sophomore designated player
Sara Loete (Pekin, Illinois) singled down the leftfield line.
The Eagles, who swept Northern Kentucky (11-19, 4-7 GLVC) for the first time 2000, started the second game off were they left off in the second inning of game one.
Back-to-back one-out singles set the table for Loete to drive in her league-leading 44th run of the year. Junior
Allyn McKinley (Sullivan, Indiana) put the Eagles up 2-0 two batters later with an RBI-single to centerfield.
Eickholt, who was 2-for-3 in the second game, had a sacrifice fly in the second inning to put the Eagles up 3-0 before McConnell and senior centerfielder
Kirsten Morgan (Oakland City, Indiana) padded USI's lead with RBI hits in the third inning.
USI, which picked up 12 hits in the nightcap, took advantage of a wild pitch and another RBI-single by McKinley in the fourth inning to plate two more runners and take a commanding 7-0 lead.
