March 26, 2008

By Kyle Herm
www.SIUSalukis.com

SIU vs. EIU Game Notes

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois softball team (15-14, 3-3 MVC) will step outside the Missouri Valley Conference for a weekday doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 27 against in-state foe Eastern Illinois (8-13, 4-3 OVC) at Williams Field in Charleston, Ill.

The Salukis enter the two-game set with a three-game losing streak, after dropping all three games of their series at Wichita State last weekend, while the Panthers are coming off a pair of losses to Southeast Missouri State on Tuesday.

"A mid-week non-conference doubleheader is one you really want to win to prepare for another conference series during the weekend," SIU head coach Kerri Blaylock said. "Eastern Illinois is an in-state team that we may have to recruit against, so we really want to play well."

SIU leads the all-time series with EIU, 30-27, and won both games of a doubleheader, 7-2, 2-1, in the teams' last meeting on March 29, 2000.

Southern Illinois is 1-1 against Ohio Valley Conference teams this year, after beating UT-Martin, 14-1, on Feb. 23 at the Middle Tennessee Classic in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and falling to Eastern Kentucky, 8-6, at the Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 6.

The doubleheader will also be the Salukis first non-conference games since losing to No. 22 Washington in the final game of the Malihini Tournament on March 9.

Live stats will be available through the link below, and both games will be available live on-line through an internet-only webcast and can be accessed through the SIU softball page at www.SIUSalukis.com.

Live Stats

Live Audio