March 4, 2012

Box Score

CARBONDALE, Ill. - SIUE softball rallied for four runs in the fifth and went on to a 6-4 victory over Wright State at the Coach B Classic Sunday.

SIUE, now 7-10, closed out the tournament with a 4-1 loss to host SIU Carbondale at Charlotte West Stadium. The Cougars now head to their spring break trip which begins Wednesday at Chattanooga and continues Thursday at Georgia Tech.

The Cougars begin Ohio Valley Conference play Saturday with a three-game series at UT Martin. SIUE plays a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. followed by a single game Sunday at 1 p.m.

SIUE Head Coach Sandy Montgomery said she was pleased with the effort at the Coach B Classic. "We just couldn't get any timely hitting."

on Saturday, SIUE broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the fifth against Wright State. Taylor Tooley's two-run single lifted the Cougar offense. SIUE also picked up RBIs from Whitney Davis and Jill Rackers.

Montgomery used her team's depth to make some lineup changes Sunday. Rackers moved into the lineup in the No. 2 spot and responded with three hits against Wright State and one against SIU Carbondale.

This team's depth, said Montgomery, gives her players opportunities to make the lineup. "Right now it's wide open," she added.

Amanda Lambrecht went six innings for the pitching victory against the Raiders. She struck out four and improved to 4-3. Alex McDavid threw the final inning to pick up her first career save.

McDavid would also throw four no-hit innings against SIU Carbondale. However, the Salukis scored four times in the first two innings off starter Lindsey Coleman.

Montgomery said McDavid's bat also was hot against the Salukis.

"She hit two balls really hard in that game, but both of them were leading off an inning," she said. McDavid led off the second with a double and the fourth with a single.

SIUE would outhit SIU Carbondale 6-4 overall but was not able to put any hits together for runs. SIUE tallied its only run in the fifth when Lindsey Barron reached on an infield error and scored on an outfield error.

Saluki catcher Allie Vadeboncouer doubled home the game's first run in the first inning. SIU Carbondale added three runs in the second, all unearned, as Kelsea Ashton's two-run double highlighted the inning.

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