Feb. 18, 2007

Box Score

By Matt Crouch
www.SIUSalukis.com

HOUSTON - The Southern Illinois University softball team used four home runs against No. 5/8-ranked Louisiana State Sunday to beat the Tigers 8-5 in the final day of the Crowne Plaza Classic, hosted by the University of Houston.

Southern Illinois (8-2) scored the most runs that any teams has scored on LSU (11-1) this season in dealing the Tigers their first loss of the season.

Katie Wilson ties a SIU single-game record with two home runs in the game while Katie Wagner and Amanda Clifton had one each.

"I'm really happy for the kids. I thought we had a great pitching performance by Ashley (Hamby) and Cassidy (Scoggins). Our hitters were so focused and had such great at bats today that it put us in a position to win the ball game," said SIU head coach Kerri Blaylock.

"What we talked about after he game is what a great win it is, enjoy it, but we need to play like this every time we take the field."

LSU put its first run on the board in the first inning as Jazz Jackson, who led off with a double, scored on a double by Rachel Mitchell. The Tigers scored again in the second, again with a pair of doubles as Killian Roessner led off with one and eventually scored on a double to right field by Shannon Stein.

Sophomore Katie Wagner put the Salukis on the scoreboard in the top of the third inning, hitting a home run down the left-field line, her fourth of the season.

SIU took the lead in the top of the fourth inning on another home run by a Katie, this time Katie Wilson.

With Katie Schmidt on second, running for Amanda Clifton after she hit a double to left field, Wilson sent a shot over the fence in left-center to put the Salukis up 3-2.

Southern extended its lead to 4-2 in the fifth inning as with two outs, Tiffanie Dismore reached on an error by LSU pitcher Dani Hofer and scored on the very next at-bat as Alicia Garza hit her fifth double of the season, sending a shot to left-center.

LSU cut the lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning as Rachel Mitchell, who reached on a walk, scored on a sacrifice fly by Quinlan Duhon.

After giving SIU the lead in the fourth inning, Wilson bounced right back in the sixth to extend Southern's lead to 6-3 with another two-run home run.

Wilson's home run scored Clare Ford, who was pinch-running for Jayme Wamsley.

LSU responded in the bottom of the sixth inning by cutting SIU's lead to 6-4 with a solo home run by Tayl'r Hollis.

Letting no good deed go unrewarded, Clifton joined in on the home run party in the top of the seventh inning with a shot down the left-field line that scored Alicia Garza from second base. Garza reached base on a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Lauren Haas.

A pair of base hits by LSU in the bottom of the seventh inning put another run on the board to cut the lead to 8-5, but it was not enough as the Salukis held on for the win.

Ashley Hamby gets the win for SIU and improves to 4-1 on the season. She gave up five hits and three runs, two of which were earned, while giving up two walks and striking out one Tiger.

Cassidy Scoggins earns the save, her first of the season, after coming in for Hamby in the fifth inning and finishing out with two strikeouts in 2.2 innings pitched. She also gave up three hits and two runs.

Emily Turner, a 2006 third team All-American, takes the loss for LSU and falls to 4-1 on the season. She struck out five Salukis while giving up three hits, three runs and a walk.

Dani Hofer came in for Turner in the fifth inning and finished the game, giving up three hits, five runs and four walks while striking out six batters.

SIU returns to action on Friday, Feb. 23 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic against North Carolina at 2:30 p.m. ET.