Box Score

April 20, 2008

By Kyle Herm
www.SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois softball team (24-19, 10-7 MVC) fell to Creighton, 5-3, in the final game of the series on Sunday afternoon at Charlotte West Stadium. The Bluejays scored five unanswered runs in the final four innings to complete their first three-game sweep of the Salukis since 2001.

In a rematch of Saturday's game one pitcher's duel, Creighton's Tara Oltman, and SIU's freshman Danielle Glosson took to the circle for the series finale.

With the game tied, 3-3, in the top of the seventh, Bluejays' shortstop, Bailey Dawson, hit a two-out, two-run home run to left center field for the eventual game winning runs.

SIU had one last chance in the bottom of the seventh, with a runner on first, but Oltman recorded her eighth strikeout of the game, and 20th of the series to close out the game.

It was the second time in the series in which Glosson held the game tied into the late innings, only to see the Bluejays take the lead on a homer. In Saturday's first game, CU broke a scoreless tie with a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning, which went on to win the game.

Glosson threw a perfect first three innings, and finished the game with nine strikeouts, which tied a career high, against one of the top offensive teams in the Valley.

The Salukis jumped out to a quick lead in the first two innings behind timely hitting from juniors Katie Wagner, and Jayme Wamsley.

Wagner put SIU up, 1-0, in the first on a RBI bloop single to right field, and Wamsley crushed her third home run of the season in the bottom of the second with a runner on base to push the Saluki lead to 3-0.

Creighton's offense, which leads the MVC in multiple categories, began to stage its comeback in the top of the fourth.

Southern Illinois had an opportunity with two runners on with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning, but similar to what happened to the Salukis in yesterday's 1-0 loss, stranded both runners on back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning, and send the game to the top of the seventh.

Southern Illinois will look to rebound with its final two home games of the season in a non-conference doubleheader against UT-Martin on Tuesday, April 22 at Charlotte West Stadium beginning at 3 p.m. The Salukis are 1-0 against the Skyhawks this season, after winning 14-1 back on Feb. 23 at the Middle Tennessee Classic in Murfreesboro, Tenn.