Feb. 16, 2007

Box Score

By Matt Crouch
www.SIUSalukis.com

HOUSTON - Moving to 5-2 on the season, the Southern Illinois University softball team went 1-1 in the first day of the Crowne Plaza Classic in Houston, Texas, hosted by the University of Houston.

The Salukis improved to 2-0 on the season against Big Ten teams, defeating Indiana 6-2. SIU then took its second loss of the season in a 1-0 extra-inning loss to Texas State in the second game of the day.

Also competing in the Crowne Plaza Classic are host Houston, Louisiana State, Centenary and Missouri Valley Conference rival Missouri State.

In the circle, the Salukis had a solid pair of performances from Cassidy Scoggins and Ashley Hamby. SIU combined in the two games for 10 strikeouts, giving up only three runs and no walks.

Offensively, it was a game of light and shadows as Southern put up nine hits against Indiana before posting only one against Texas State.

"We got two very, very good pitching performances and two outstanding defensive performances," said SIU head coach Kerri Blaylock.

"Offensively, we did a great job against IU by attacking early, scoring early and coming back after they had a two run inning. We did not do a good job at all at the plate in the second game and I did not think that we were prepared."

Blaylock says that one of the keys to the team's future success will depend on the ability to play a game and then turn around with the same intensity in the following game.

"We need to learn how to make a transition. We need to learn how to come off of a game, get ready for a new opponent, a new game and get ready to start that game," said Blaylock.

"We are playing a very tough schedule. Texas State was a very good team, Houston is a very good team and we have to learn to play at the top of our game every game."

Follow all the action at the Crowne Plaza Classic live with GameTracker from the Tournament Central Web site.

Southern Illinois 6, Indiana 2
Alicia Garza went 3-for-3 at the plate with a home run, her first as a Saluki, to lead SIU past Indiana (1-1) for a 6-2 win.

Southern exploded for four runs in the second inning to jump out to the early lead as four of SIU's first six batters picked up base hits.

The first run for the Salukis came on a double by Tiffanie Dismore, scoring Katie Schmidt who was pinch-running for Allie Hanson after her lead-off single.

Garza followed by putting two more runs on the board as Krystal Stein and Garza scored off of her single to right-center.

Another base hit by Lauren Haas a walk drawn by Katie Wilson loaded the bases, setting up Becky Wegmann to score Garza as she drew a walk to put SIU up 4-0.

Indiana answered in the top of the fourth inning, cutting the lead to 4-2 with a two-run home run by Tory Yamaguchi.

The Salukis kept the game out of reach, though, in the fifth and sixth innings with a pair of solo home runs.

Katie Wagner hit a solo shot to right field in the bottom of the fifth inning, her third home run of the season. Garza followed in the sixth inning with her shot that clanged off the scoreboard in right-center.

Cassidy Scoggins earns the win for Southern Illinois and improves to 2-1 on the season. She gave up two runs, five hits and no walks while striking out three Hoosiers.

Monica Wright takes the loss for IU, giving up nine Saluki hits, six runs and six walks. She also struck out six batters in the game.

Texas State 1, Southern Illinois 0 (8 Innings)
In SIU's second game of the day, the Salukis battled in a pitchers' duel through seven scoreless innings before the Bobcats (2-5) scored on the international tiebreaker rule in the eighth inning to come away with the 1-0 win.

Texas State's Sarah Lancour posted a dominating performance in the circle with 11 strikeouts in the complete-game win, giving up only one hit.

The one hit came in the fifth inning as Amanda Clifton's shot down the left-field line went off the leftfielder's glove.

SIU's defense stepped up in the game, keeping Texas State scoreless through seven innings, despite seven Bobcat hits.

The Salukis did not do it without a few strenuous situations. With runners on second and third and only one out in the fifth inning, Dismore made a fly-ball catch in left field for the second out of the inning and then fired the ball down the line to home plate, making the assist to catcher Jayme Wamsley for the out at home plate, keeping Texas State off of the scoreboard.

The Bobcats had similar situation in the bottom of the seventh inning as the team again led off with back-to-back base hits for runners at first and second. Following a foul-ball catch by Lauren Haas for the first out of the game, senior pitcher Ashley Hamby stepped in to strike out the next two batters and end the seventh inning in a scoreless tie.

Hamby takes the loss for SIU and falls to 3-1 on the season. She gave up seven hits and one run while not giving up a walk and striking out seven Bobcats.