#21 Indianapolis (35-13): 4
Southern Indiana (19-26): 2
Box Score
Missouri S&T (27-22): 4
Southern Indiana: 3
Box Score
EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The University of Southern Indiana softball team saw its seventh-inning rally come up short Friday afternoon as the Screaming Eagles fell to Missouri University of Science & Technology, 4-3, in the elimination bracket of the GLVC Tournament. The Screaming Eagles lost their opening game, 4-2, to top-seeded and No. 21 University of Indianapolis.
Down to their last out and no runners on base against Missouri S&T, junior second baseman Amanda Brendel hit a hard shot that got into the outfield to keep USI alive.
Freshman pitcher Stephanie Bittner followed with a two-run home run to cut the deficit in half. Freshman rightfielder Katherine Belsito reached on an error in the next at-bat; then senior catcher Tara McConnell saw a looping hit find the outfield grass to put runners at the corners.
A run-scoring double off the bat of junior third baseman LeAnn Collins in the next at-bat cut the deficit to 4-3 and put runners at second and third.
After an intentional walk to senior designated player Sara Loete that nearly saw one of the pitches reach the backstop, junior first baseman Brittany DeWeese grounded out to second base to end the inning and the Eagles’ 2010 season.
Missouri S&T (27-22) scored a pair of runs in the top of the third inning to break a scoreless tie, then used the long ball in the fourth inning to build a 3-0 advantage. The Miners added the all-important insurance run in the sixth inning to go up 4-0.
Sophomore hurler Hadley Clark was charged with the loss after giving up three runs off six hits in three innings of work. Clark fell to 7-14 with the setback.
Earlier in the day, the Eagles (19-26) scored twice in the top of the sixth inning to cut a 4-0 deficit in half. Loete had a two-run single to put the Eagles on the board and breathe life into a USI line-up that had struggled to get anything going.
Indianapolis (35-13), which scored a run on an illegal pitch in the bottom of the first inning, broke a 1-0 lead wide open in the fifth frame when it struck for three runs in the fifth inning.
Two-time GLVC Player of the Year Megan Russell struck out 14 USI batters en route to her 20th win of the season.
Bittner was charged with the loss in against Indianapolis as she gave up four runs off eight hits in 4.1 innings of work. Bittner ends the year with a 7-4 record in the pitching circle.