After seeing their series moved and a game even cancelled, the SIU softball team continued their run of dominance as they took both games of a doubleheader against Indiana State at home on April 6.
Rain and thunderstorms delayed the games, but they weren’t the reason the first game only lasted 5 innings.
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Freshman Emma Gipson pitched her first full outing and gave up only two runs and 6 hits against 3 strikeouts. Both innings came in the top of the first inning
The Salukis pounced in the bottom of the first, with their first four batters reaching base and Emma Austin scoring. Jackie Lis was brought home on a sacrifice fly by Emily Williams, and Erin Lee and Anna Carder came home when Addi Baker smashed a home run to left center field.
After Gipson locked down the second and third innings, SIU got on the board again in the bottom of third when Baker got to make another trip all the way around the bases when she hit her second home run of the game, which also scored Lee once again and made the score 7-2.
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The Dawgs put the game out of reach in the bottom of the fourth, taking a full trip through the batting order and scoring 3 more runs. Austin, who stole second, came home on a Carder double, and Lis scored again on an Erin Lee single to left.
Carder scored the final run of the game, which was unearned one, after Mikaela Coburn hit a single back to the Sycamore’s pitcher. Indiana State was unable to put a rally together in the top of the fifth, and SIU took game one 10-2.
Game two saw Kiana McDowell in the circle, and she managed to only go 1 inning while giving up 4 runs, all earned, on 5 hits.
Kaytee Dahlstrom pitched the second inning and recorded a strikeout and one hit allowed before Mckenzie Newcomb came in for 5 lockdown innings, with zero runs allowed and 6 strikeouts.
SIU took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the first after a Lee flyout scored Austin and Lis and Charley Pursley, who stole third, scored on an Williams flyout as a pinch runner for Carder.
Indiana State fought back in the top of the second inning, picking up 3 more runs to take a 4-3 lead. The Dawgs couldn’t be held down and were able to tack on 3 additional runs in the bottom of the third to lead 6-3. Lis led off the scoring before Williams clubbed a home run to left center to score herself and Carder.
The bottom of the fifth saw the Salukis score two insurance runs off a Sage Grann single, which brought home Coburn and Sarah Cook to lead 8-4.
Carder scored the ninth and final run of the game again, this time off a Baker double. Indiana State was unable to rally in the top of the seventh, and the Dawgs took their third in a row and 15th game out of 16.
SIU (20-15, 12-1) remains in first place in the Valley and will defend their position during a midweek April 8 against Missouri State and another against Missouri on April 9.
Sports reporter Ryan Grieser can be reached at rgrieser@dailyegyptian.com. To stay up to date on all your southern Illinois news, be sure to follow The Daily Egyptian on Facebook.
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