April 14, 2009

Eagles roll past Panthers

Southern Indiana (11-30, 3-12 GLVC): 6; at Kentucky Wesleyan (16-22, 4-12 GLVC): 0
-Game 1 Box Score

Southern Indiana: 10, at Kentucky Wesleyan 3
-Game 2 Box Score

OWENSBORO, Ky.—The University of Southern Indiana softball team broke a five-game losing streak in convincing fashion as it scored a combined 16 runs off 28 hits to sweep host Kentucky Wesleyan College 6-0 and 10-3 in a GLVC doubleheader Tuesday afternoon.

USI (11-30, 3-12 GLVC) got a three-run double off the bat of sophomore first baseman Brittany DeWeese (Evansville, Indiana) and a run-scoring single from freshman pitcher Hadley Clark (Owensboro, Kentucky) to take a comfortable 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning of game one.

Senior shortstop Allyn McKinley (Sullivan, Indiana) drove in Clark in the fifth inning to extend the Screaming Eagles' advantage to 5-0, while senior rightfielder Lacey Ligmanowski (Homer Glen, Illinois) scored on a wild pitch to finish USI's scoring in the seventh frame.

Hadley Clark

Clark (3-6), who returned to her hometown for the first time in her collegiate career, allowed just two hits as she recorded her first career shutout.

In game two, the Eagles took a 1-0 advantage after Ligmanowski doubled and scored off a McKinley single in the top of the first inning.

Brittany DeWeese

USI had four singles and two home runs to score seven times in the third frame as the Eagles built a commanding 8-0 cushion. DeWeese, who was a combined 5-of-8 with five RBIs on the day, had a two-run single to start the seven-run inning.

Junior designated player Sara Loete (Pekin, Illinois) followed DeWeese with a three-run home run, then sophomore third baseman Dani Finkelstein (Windsor, Colorado) hit a two-run shot two batters later to finish off the Eagles' scoring run.

Sophomore second baseman Amanda Brendel (Salem, Illinois) hit a solo home run to lead off the fourth inning and extend USI's advantage to 9-0, while sophomore catcher Alex Dunfee (Mishawaka, Indiana) had an RBI-single in the fifth inning to give USI a 10-1 lead.

Sophomore pitcher Dawn McClellan (Valparaiso, Indiana) picked up the victory after allowing three runs, one earned, off eight hits in 7.0 innings of work. McClellan, who had four strikeouts, improves to 4-12 with the decision.

USI returns to action Saturday when it travels to Springfield, Missouri, to take on Drury University in a GLVC doubleheader starting at noon.

Dan McDonnell,
USI Sports Information