Cougars Survive First Day at GLVC Tourney

May 4, 2001

         Roller coasters are supposed to be fun.
         Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Coach Sandy Montgomery and her softball team sat on the edge of elimination of the 2001 Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament. The Cougars defeated Bellarmine in their opening game of the tournament 4-3 in 10 innings, lost to upstart Missouri-St. Louis 2-0 and defeated host school Wisconsin-Parkside 4-3.
         The second-seeded Cougars, 36-14 overall, used a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh to oust Wisconsin-Parkside from the tourney. The Rangers committed three errors after holding a 3-2 lead going into the bottom of the seventh.
         SIUE freshman Missy Koenig (Mapleton) picked up the victory in both of SIUE's wins. She threw the final 3 2/3 innings in a 10-inning thriller against Bellarmine. SIUE led 3-0 early but let the lead slip away into extra innings before Koenig did not allow a run. Koenig then came back against Wisconsin-Parkside and eliminated the Rangers for her 13th victory of the season.
         Erin Newman (Fairfield, Calif.) had the hot bat in both of SIUE's wins. She homered in the first inning against Wisconsin-Parkside for a league-leading 16 homers. She led the Cougars with three hits against Bellarmine.
         SIUE's lone loss came at the hands of UMSL pitcher Kelly Jackson, who allowed only a Jill Ibeck (Bartonville) double.
         The Cougars must return to the diamond Saturday at 1 p.m. to take on third-seeded Southern Indiana. The game may have ramifications of who advanced to the NCAA Tournament as the Cougars currently sit third in the region to Southern Indiana's fifth. The top four teams in the region, selected by an NCAA national committee, will be selected to represent the Great Lakes Region in the 32-team NCAA Tournament beginning May 11.
                  -siue-

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Players Mentioned

#33 Jill Ibeck: 1B; Senior

#4 Missy Koenig: P; Freshman

#16 Erin Newman: 3B; Junior

Players Mentioned

#33 Jill Ibeck
: Senior
: 1B

#4 Missy Koenig
: Freshman
: P

#16 Erin Newman
: Junior
: 3B

Players Mentioned

#33 Jill Ibeck

#4 Missy Koenig

#16 Erin Newman

Players Mentioned

#33 Jill Ibeck

#4 Missy Koenig

#16 Erin Newman