Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
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March 16, 2008

By Kyle Herm
www.SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois softball team won both games in Sunday's doubleheader at Charlotte West Stadium, 7-1, 6-1, to sweep the three-game Missouri Valley Conference season-opening series against Northern Iowa.

The Salukis (15-11, 3-0 MVC) came-from-behind to defeat the Panthers, 4-3, in Saturday's series-opener, and followed with back-to-back wins in the doubleheader, holding UNI to a single run in both games.

Game One, Southern Illinois 7 Northern Iowa 1
Freshman starter, Nikki Waters, threw her ninth complete game of the year for her eighth win in the first game, while seniors Krystal Stein and Becky Wegmann, along with junior Katie Wagner provided the offense.

Stein drove in two runs on a triple in the second, Wegmann hit 2-for-2 with a double and two runs batted in, and reigning MVC Player of the Week, Wagner went 2-for-3 with her eighth home run of the season.

"Nikki did a tremendous job pitching today," SIU head coach Kerri Blaylock said. "The team hit the ball well, and really overcame Wagner's injury and (Lauren) Haas feeling sick the whole day."

Wagner left the game in the top of the seventh inning after the ball struck her in the nose on a line-drive.

The Salukis started the first game strong, getting out to an early lead, 1-0, on a solo home run by Wagner. It was the third baseman's third of the weekend, and sixth in her last eight games played.

SIU added to its lead in the ensuing bottom of the second. With runners on first and second, Freshman Chelsea Held hit an RBI-single, and Stein followed with a two-run triple into the right field corner to put the Dawgs up, 4-0. Wagner capped-off the bottom of the second with another RBI on a single up the middle to push the lead to, 5-0.

Wegmann added two more runs to the Southern Illinois' lead on a run-scoring double in the bottom of the third, and a RBI-single to score sophomore outfielder Katie Wilson in the fifth.

Waters scattered five hits in the game, and at one point retired nine-straight batters at the end of the first inning through the third, and only gave up one run to the Panthers in the top of the fourth. Stephanie Aguero led-off with a double, and after advancing to third on a wild pitch, Jen Larsen drove her in on a groundout to give UNI its only run.

Game Two, Southern Illinois 6 Northern Iowa 1
The Salukis completed the three-game sweep with another strong pitching performance, and timely hitting. Freshman Starter Danielle Glosson, and junior relief pitcher Katie McNamara combined for six strikeouts, while only allowing one run.

McNamara (6-2) earned the win in 1 2/3 innings of relief, while only giving up one hit with two strikeouts, and Glosson took a no-decision, while recording four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings pitched.

"(Katie) McNamara might have gotten the win in the scorebook, but Danielle (Glosson) really did a great job to keep us in the game, " Blaylock said. "McNamara threw very well in relief, and came up big when we needed her."

With the score tied, 1-1, and one out with runners on first and second in the top of the sixth, McNamara entered the game for Glosson. Although she walked the first batter she faced to load the based, the Putnam Valley, N.Y. native stifled the next two hitters on a strikeout and harmless fly out to left field to end the Panthers' scoring opportunity.

The big defensive stand in the circle jump-started the Saluki offense in the ensuing bottom of the sixth.

Sophomore second baseman Alicia Garza led-off with a double, and advanced to third on an infield-single by Wilson. Wilson stole second to set-up two runners in scoring position for senior Lauren Haas.

With no outs, Haas clubbed her third home run of the season to left field to propel SIU into the lead, 4-1.

The Salukis added two more runs in the inning on a RBI-single by Stein that skipped by the centerfielder and made it all the way to the wall. The miscue by the Panthers allowed freshman Cristina Trapani to score from first base on the play to make the final, 6-1.

SIU got its first run in the bottom of the first on a RBI-single by Wilson, and UNI evened the score in the top of the fourth on a run-scoring single by Sarah Bakey.

Southern Illinois swept its MVC-opening series for the second consecutive season, after taking all three games against Bradley to open MVC play last year at Charlotte West Stadium.

"I'm very glad we got the sweep, and got off to a good start in the conference," Blaylock said. "We got the first two and I was pleased that we were able get close it out in a tight final game."

The Salukis will take on non-conference opponent Southeast Missouri State in their next game at home on Tuesday, March 18 at 3 p.m., before traveling to Wichita State next weekend to continue MVC competition.