Junior catcher Christina Trapini misses a strike in the bottom of the sixth inning Thursday at Charlotte West Stadium. Trapini grounded out to the first baseman. The Salukis lost 2-1 to the Cyclones. Ð Sami Bowden | Daily Egyptian
The pitching was there but the bats went cold and the SIU softball team could not overcome Iowa State, falling 2-1.
The loss was the third this season when the Salukis (16-10) have held the opposition to two runs or less; it was their fourth one-run loss.
Head coach Kerri Blaylock said it is frustrating to lose ball games when the pitching gives the team a chance to win.
“We held them to two runs,” Blaylock said. “You look at their lines scores, they score seven, eight, nine, 10 runs a game — we gotta be able to win these kinds of games.”
The Salukis have been without starting shortstop Haley Gorman for the last 11 games because of sickness, but Blaylock said the team has to learn to win games without her at the top of the lineup, as Gorman will not return to the lineup until March 27 against Creighton.
Freshman pitcher Brittney Lang took the loss for the Salukis, as she went three innings and allowed two runs on four hits and two walks.
Lang was relieved by junior pitcher Alex Peters, who went the last four innings and allowed no runs on just one hit and three strikeouts.
Despite allowing just two runs, the Salukis could not get past Iowa State (15-12) starter Rachel Zabriskie. The junior pitcher went a complete game, seven innings, and allowed just one run on four hits while striking out eight.
Peters said it has been tough for the Salukis to lose close games when they hold teams to low run totals.
“It’s really frustrating when it’s close and you’re doing your job out there,” Peters said.
The Cyclones jumped to an early 2-0 lead in the second inning when junior shortstop Carrie Monroe hit an RBI single to score senior first baseman Sydni Jones, and senior left fielder Kelsey Kidwell hit a sacrifice fly to score senior second baseman Amanda Bradberry.
The Salukis were able to get on the board in the fourth inning, though, when senior second baseman Alicia Garza led the inning off with a double. After she tagged and moved to third on a fly out to right, Garza scored on a sacrifice fly from senior right fielder Katie Wilson.
Wilson tried to get the Salukis going again in the bottom of the seventh inning. She led off the inning with a rocket off the left field fence, but the ball bounced right to the Iowa State left fielder, holding Wilson at first.
Junior shortstop Natalee Weissinger came up next and moved Wilson to second with a sac bunt, but the next two batters popped out to end the game.
Wilson, who went 1-for-2 on the day with a single and an RBI, said she thought the team was going to pull it out in the seventh.
“We battled hard,” Wilson said. “It just didn’t go our way today.”
The Salukis will return to the diamond at 5 p.m. today when they begin a three-game conference bout with Missouri State.
Stile T. Smith can be reached at ssmith@dailyegyptian.com or
536-3311 ext. 256.
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