Southern’s softball team (29-9, 11-6 MVC) went 1-2 in the weekend matchup on April 17 and 18 against the Illinois State Redbirds (23-6, 9-2 MVC). 

The Salukis lost the first two games in the doubleheader on the first day and they won the last game in the series 3-1.

In the first game of the double header, the Salukis were the first to score with a RBI by senior infielder Jenny Jansen where grad student infielder Maddy Vermejan scored a run.

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Illinois State followed by scoring six runs in the second and fourth innings by senior utility player Spenser Strandgard, senior shortstop Rebecca Moffett, junior pitcher Mack Leonard, sophomore utility player Dayna Kennedy, sophomore outfielder Kaili Chval and senior third baseman Andrea Coursey scored.

Neither team scored runs for the remainder of the game and the Redbirds won 6-1.

Illinois State started the second game with a run by Kennedy from an RBI by freshman infielder Madi Bylak in the first inning.

Both teams remained scoreless until the fifth inning where Southern scored two runs from a homerun by Vermejan and a RBI by freshman infielder Elisabeth Huckleberry where senior infielder Meredith Wernig scored.

This was followed by a run from Illinois State’s junior utility player Emme Olson tying the score 2-2. SIU regained the lead in the sixth inning with a run by freshman infielder Rylie Hamiliton.

The Redbirds finished the game with two home runs at the end of the sixth inning from Leonard and Olson, winning 4-3.

In the last game of the weekend series, freshman outfielder Bailey Caylor scored in the first inning from a RBI by Jansen. This was followed by a home run from Illinois State’s freshman utility player Jayden Standish in the second inning tying the score 1-1.

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The Salukis gained the lead by scoring two more runs in the third and sixth innings by Vermejan and Wernig, making the score 3-1. The Redbirds scored one run in the seventh inning, but it was not enough to take the lead and Southern won.

The Salukis take the field again on April 21 against Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo., at 12 p.m.

Staff reporter Janae Mosby can be reached at jmosby@dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @mosbyj.

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