Salukis and Aces remain tied for second in the MVC

It was a day that saw everything from a one-hitter to a shattered car window on a foul ball to the usually restrained Saluki head coach Kerri Blaylock going nuts in arguing a close call at the plate.

And when all was said and done, the SIU softball team finished the day exactly where it started it tied for second place in the Missouri Valley Conference with Evansville.

The two teams entered Wednesday’s doubleheader at IAW Fields tied for second with 10-4 MVC marks and both left with 11-5 marks, with the Salukis winning the first game 2-0 before falling in the second, 6-0.

While the Salukis (24-13, 11-5 MVC) looked like a focused and determined group in the first game, 20 minutes later in game No. 2 they seemingly had called it a day.

I just think we need to pick it up a little bit and give everything we got all of the time instead of just some of the time, said freshman outfielder Maria Damico. I think a lot of the girls want to win, but sometimes don’t know what we got to do to win.

In the first game, freshman pitcher Amy Harre was her usual dominant self, throwing a complete game one-hitter while striking out five.

Harre (13-8) received all the run support she needed on a two-run bomb by Katie Jordan in the bottom of the fifth inning. Jordan’s fourth home run of the season extended her hitting streak to nine games.

While Jordan’s hit proved to be enough, it was a play the inning before in which the Salukis seemed to score that got a rouse out of Blaylock.

With Harre at bat, second baseman Tahira Saafir got caught in a run-down. While the Aces were trying to get her, Damico took off from third base and tried to score.

Damico seemed to slide under the tag of Evansville catcher Samantha Doner, but the home plate umpire called her out.

That led to both Blaylock and first base coach Buddy Foster rushing to the plate to argue the call. Both were animated in having their say before eventually backing off before things got out of hand. On her way back to the dugout, Blaylock was kicking the dirt and clutching her visor tightly in her hand, making no effort to hide her displeasure.

Evansville’s Casey Clutch took the loss in what was a great performance, giving up only four hits. However, she made the lone mistake in the pitch to Jordan and the Salukis were able to capitalize on it.

In the second game, the Aces jumped on SIU starter Renee Mueller, knocking her out after only 3.1 innings and with the Salukis in a 3-0 hole.

Despite all the runs, the Aces (25-21, 11-5 MVC) didn’t make solid contact on too many Saluki pitches, they just made enough contact to drive the runs in.

They never hit the ball really hard all day, Blaylock said. A bloop here, bloop there, bloop here, bloop there … but we have to do better things in fielding the ball and making the plays when we need to. If we can’t get a run or two runs then we’re probably going to lose anyway.

While the Aces were able to total 12 hits and six runs, most of the hits were the bloopers Blaylock talked about.

Damico said when a team has so many soft hits it can become frustrating on the fielders because there really isn’t anything you can do about it.

Especially in the outfield because I’m playing far back expecting them to hit it and then they bloop it in and it’s too far up there to dive for it, but it counts as a hit and it just stinks, Damico said. It’s just frustrating, very frustrating.

Despite the frustration, things are by no means over with the team still standing in second place and in good shape heading into the final stretch of the season.

No, it wasn’t a good outing, Blaylock said, but we’re still 11-5, we’re still tied for second place and we’re in control of our own destiny.

Reporter Jens Deju can be reached at [email protected]