The Salukis loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth inning with two outs and a five-run lead over Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE). Junior center fielder Mikaela Coburn stepped into the box and demolished an opposite-field Grand Slam over the fence in left field. Coburn’s Grand Slam put the Dawgs up by nine runs under the lights at Charlotte West Stadium.

The Salukis hosted the SIUE Cougars on Wednesday, April 29 where they defeated Edwardsville by a final score of 10-1.

Coburn went 2-3 with four RBIs, leading the Salukis offense in RBIs during the contest. After an SIUE run in the top of the second inning, junior third baseman Amanda Knutson tied the game at 1-1 with an RBI single in the bottom of the third inning. 

Junior designated player Emily Williams crushed a moonshot home run later on in the bottom of the third. William’s three-run home run gave the Dawgs a 4-1 advantage after three innings of softball. 

SIU’s bats continued to produce in the bottom of the fourth. Sophomore first baseman Hayden Kurtz slapped an RBI single to center field to score Knutson. Junior catcher Sydney Potter smoked an RBI double into the right-center gap to score grad student Brooklyn Pritchett. Coburn followed with a Grand Slam that scored Kurtz, Potter, and sophomore left fielder Sage Grann.

The Saluki starting pitcher in the circle was sophomore Emma Gipson. Gipson pitched two innings, allowing no hits and an unearned run. Freshman pitcher Hailey Lucas entered to begin the third inning. Lucas surrendered two hits and picked up three strikeouts. Lucas picked up the win and moved to 9-7 on the season.

Freshman pitcher Brooklyn Danielson pitched a scoreless fifth inning to seal the win for the Dawgs. Danielson pitched one inning, not allowing a hit and striking out two Cougar hitters.

With this victory, the Salukis improved to 30-15 on the season. SIU is 12-2 this season for home games at Charlotte West Stadium. SIUE falls to 25-26 with the loss.

The Dawgs hit the road and travel to the third-largest city in America to take on the UIC Flames in Chicago for a doubleheader on Friday, May 1, with the first pitch of Game 1 scheduled for 2:30 p.m. The third game will follow on Saturday, May 2, at 2 p.m.

Sports Reporter Aaron Carnahan  can be reached at [email protected]

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