Southern Illinois University Edwardsville swept a doubleheader from Bellarmine Saturday at Cougar Field to improve its Great Lakes Valley Conference record to 6-0. Bellarmine was handed its first two conference losses and is now 4-2 in the GLVC.
         SIUE took game one by the score of 2-0 and game two 3-1.
         Bellarmine's Kara Houston and SIUE's RyAnn Spann battled in a pitcher's duel in game one of the doubleheader.
         SIUE's first threat was in the fifth inning when Holly Neuerburg led off the inning with a walk. After a VJ Schmidt sacrifice bunt, Koree Claxton had SIUE's first hit. Alicia DeShasier walked to load the bases with one out, but the Cougars could not connect as they stranded all three runners.
         All the scoring in the game took place in the Cougars' sixth inning. Shanna Waldo singled, then stole second. Jenny Esker's triple drove in Shanna Waldo for the first run of the game. Then Neuerburg ripped a pitch down the leftfield line to drive in Esker to give the Cougars the 2-0 advantage.
         Meanwhile, Spann was solid on the mound. She pitched all seven innings, scattering four hits and striking out 12.
         Bellarmine struck first in game two of the doubleheader after second baseman Houston hit an RBI single in the first inning.
         But that would be all the offense from the Knights, as SIUE starter Missy Koenig allowed only three more hits the rest of the game.
         SIUE answered in the third after Katie Waldo drove in DeShasier with a single. The Cougars then took the lead on an Esker two-run double in the fifth inning to give the Cougars the 3-1 advantage.
         SIUE stretched its winning streak to nine games and will now play host to Northern Kentucky Sunday at Cougar Field in a doubleheader. First pitch is slated for noon.