April 18, 2007

Box Score

By Matt Crouch
www.SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - A pair of scoreless pitching performances along with five home runs lifted the No. 20/21 Southern Illinois University softball team to a sweep of the University of Tennessee at Martin on Wednesday.

The Salukis (33-9) used nine base hits and a Katie Wagner home run to seal the 4-0 win over the Skyhawks (23-25) in the first game.

Senior Pitcher Cassidy Scoggins was one pitch away from a no-hitter as UTM got its only base hit of the game from Lauren Roberts as she took a cut at a two-strike, two-out pitch in the bottom of the seventh for a single.

Fellow senior Ashley Hamby followed up Scoggins' one-hit shut out in the first game with a two-hit shut out of her own in the second game as Southern Illinois cruised to a 9-0, six-inning win. It was the first time this season that UT Martin has fallen to the eight-run rule.

The back-to-back wins not only halted UTM's five-game winning streak, but it was the first time this season that the Skyhawks have been shut out in back-to-back games.

The Salukis tallied 21 hits in the 13 innings played on Wednesday, three of which went for home runs and all five of which came from players with a last name beginning with W.

Katie Wagner went deep twice, giving her seven on the season. Katie Wilson hit her 10th home run of the season, moving her into a tie for sixth all-time at SIU in single-season home runs.

Jayme Wamsley joins Wilson on the single-season list after she hit her eighth home run of the season in the second game, moving her into a tie for 10th in single-season home runs.

Southern Illinois struck quick in the first game with Lauren Haas scoring Becky Wegmann on a two-out single.

SIU was only able to get two hits in the next three innings, but the bats came alive in the fifth as a Wagner home run and back-to-back-to-back base hits by Wegmann, Alicia Garza and Haas scored two runs for a 3-0 lead after five.

Wilson dropped another run on in the sixth inning with her solo home run to give the Salukis the 4-0 win.

Scoggins (17-6) was nearly perfect in the circle, striking out seven while giving up no walks and only one hit. It was the fourth game this season that Scoggins has either had a no-hitter or a one-hitter.

Kara Harper takes the loss for UT Martin and falls to 8-7 on the season. She struck out three in 4.2 innings of work, giving up a walk, and seven hits for three runs.

Paij Lintz finished the game for Harper, striking out three with no walks while giving up two hits for a run.

In the second game, it was a pair of Skyhawk errors that first put SIU on the board. Haas led off the second inning with an error and was able to score after UTM centerfielder Brittany Nash bobbled Wamsley's hit.

Wagner homered later in the inning to put the Salukis up 2-0 after two innings.

Wamsley and Wilson hit a pair of back-to-back base hits in the fourth inning, giving freshman Allie Hanson a RBI opportunity. She took a cut at a two-strike, two-out pitch, sending a grounder up the middle to bring the pair home and give Southern a 4-0 lead.

A pair of home runs extended the lead to 7-0 in the fifth inning with Wegmann getting things started with her solo shot to left field.

Garza followed with a walk, but did not have time to get comfortable as Wamsley brough her home with SIU's second home run of the inning, a two-run shot to right-center.

Wamsley hit her home run to the exact same spot that she sent a long double in the fourth inning, just a little farther the second time.

Southern Illinois capped off the win in the top of the sixth inning as Garza hit a full-count, two-out single that scored Hanson and Dismore.

Hamby (14-3) earns the win for SIU after striking out seven and giving up no walks. She gave up only two hits in the game. The first hit she gave up came in the first inning, and from there she sat down 14 straight Skyhawks before giving up her second hit the bottom of the sixth inning.

Ashley Myatt takes the loss for UTM, falling to 7-7 on the season. She struck out two batters in 4.1 innings of work, giving up no walks and seven hits for five runs.

Ashton Strode finished the game for Myatt, striking out one while giving up a walk, five hits and four runs.

The Salukis return to the field this weekend with a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series at Northern Iowa.

Action is set to begin at 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 21 with a doubleheader at UNI's Panther Park. The series will conclude with a single game on Sunday, April 22 at 12 p.m.