Saluki Softball hosted the Belmont Bruins this weekend for a three game series between the top two teams in the Missouri Valley Conference.

The Saluki ace, Maddia Groff, was in the circle for the series opener on Friday night and twirled a gem. Groff pitched a complete game shutout, gave up five hits and sat down eight Bruins on strikes in the winning effort.

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Rylie Hamilton and Bailey Caylor drove in the two SIU runs in game one. Hamilton plated Jackie Lis with a sacrifice fly in the first and Caylor brought Emma Austin in from second with a triple in the second, her first hit in a three for three performance. 

Madi Eberle got the start in the Saturday meeting and delivered a strong outing. Eberle went six innings while surrendering three runs on six hits and two walks and punching out five.

Lis was a key contributor in the contest, getting home twice in the contest, once on a home run that provided the first spark to the Saluki bats and once. Bailey Caylor also came up clutch in the sixth with an infield single that drove in one with another run scoring after an error on the play, giving the Dawgs the late lead.

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Maddia Groff pitched in relief in the seventh, setting the Bruins down in order, earning the save and capturing the series win.

Groff got the starting job yet again in the Sunday finale and delivered one of her best performances of her already stellar season. She went the distance while blanking the Bruins for the second time on the weekend. Groff also got 14 outs via the strikeout, was perfect through fourteen outs, and didn’t give up a hit until there was one out in the seventh.

Austin got the scoring started in the fourth with an RBI infield single and would later score on a double steal. Rylinn Groff contributed with an RBI single and Jackie Lis notched her 13th long ball of the year

With the sweep over the Bruins, SIU improved to 33-8 (17-3 MVC) while Belmont fell to 27-15 (13-8). Belmont also fell to third in the Valley as Northern Iowa swept their weekend set against UIC, improving to 24-15 (12-5) and taking control of second place. 

SIU will take on Missouri State (13-28, 9-11) at home on Wednesday before traveling to Terre Haute for a three game series with Indiana State (18-24, 6-11).

Nick Pfannkuche can be reached at [email protected]. To stay up to date with all your southern Illinois news, follow the Daily Egyptian on Facebook and Twitter.

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