The Softball team (10-2) continued their dominating start to the season with their first home slate of the year at Charlotte West Stadium. The Dawgs went a perfect 4-0 against schools like Northern Kentucky (3-7), Depaul (6-7), and sister school SIU Edwardsville (3-10) across the weekend. The Dawgs have now won 14 of the last 15 games played in the Coach B Classic across the last 4 seasons.

Pitching is still the storyline of the year, as the dawgs only gave up seven total runs in the Coach B Classic games, with three of them coming in the same game against the Cougars. Elliot Stinson and Hannah Hockerman both ground up the Norse lineup with 13 combined innings of 2-run ball between them.

Stinson, the starter in both games against Northern Kentucky struck out seven in game one, while Hockerman finished it off quickly. The next day Stinson went four innings to start, allowing just one run while striking out four, only for Hockerman again to earn her second save in a row. Just a couple of minutes later, Madi Eberle whipped up another complete game against Depaul to keep the momentum going, while also not allowing an earned run. The three combined in a close game against Edwardsville to finish the series and keep the luck going, only allowing two earned runs through the game.

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The offense was clicking to start Friday, with a 10-run showing against Northern Kentucky, but quickly sizzled down with two 2-run performances on Saturday and four on Sunday. Freshman Jackie Lis continues to tear up the diamond. She recorded her second career home run in game one to break the game open over the Norse, while tallying five total RBIs during the homestand. Anna Carder had herself a three-hit day in game one as well, with one of them driving in a run.

Clutch plays just went SIU’s way in games three and four. Tied at 1 in the bottom of the fifth against Depaul, Aubree Depron hit a single to send Emma Austin home and to take the lead permanently for the Dawgs. They would win it 2-1 as the final. The next day, it was Jenna Christesen with the clutch play in the sixth. In another tie game, she tallied a double out to right center to send Depron and Carder home for the winning runs. After a scary seventh inning, the dawgs would also come out of that game, winning by just a run

SIU’s 10-2 record to start the season now is their best since their program best 16-0 start in the 2021 season. They’ll look to add to their fire next weekend with another homestand in the Saluki Invitational, also at Charlotte West Stadium. Game one will start on Friday against Butler with a 2:15 pm first-pitch.

Sports editor Joseph Bernard can be reached at [email protected] or on twitter @Jojobernard2001. 

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