Box Score 2014 OVC Tournament Bracket
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Senior Jill Rackers drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning, and the SIUE softball team rallied to defeat Eastern Illinois 2-1 and sweep the teams' three-game series at Cougar Field.
"I'm very happy for our players," Head Coach Sandy Montgomery said. "It's been a tough year in a lot of ways, but they're a great bunch of kids and I'm very proud of them."
SIUE finishes the regular season with a 27-21 overall record along with a 19-5 mark in Ohio Valley Conference play. The Cougars will be the No. 2 seed at the OVC Tournament this week in Jacksonville, Ala.
Much like Saturday's doubleheader between the Cougars and Panthers, Sunday's game provided a low-scoring pitchers' dual.
Sophomore Haley Chambers got the start for SIUE, tossing five scoreless innings while surrendering just two hits and striking out five EIU batters.
Senior Erin Greenwalt relieved Chambers in the sixth inning, and picked up her 11th win of the season by allowing one unearned run on two hits in two innings. She posted four strikeouts in her final home game at SIUE.
The game was still scoreless after five innings before the Panthers (37-16, 17-7 OVC) scored their first and only run of the series in the top of the sixth. The inning stayed alive when Brooke Owens was able to reach base despite striking out, and two batters later, April Markowski delivered an RBI single to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
SIUE would respond in the seventh inning, however, manufacturing a pair of runs to earn the series sweep against its in-state rival.
Chambers got things going with a lead-off double that narrowly missed clearing the wall in left center field. Freshman pinch hitter Amy Hunt then executed a sacrifice bunt to move pinch runner Kelsey Hansen to third base.
After Rachel Keller drew a four-pitch walk, senior Kayla Riggs hit a hard-hit groundball to EIU second baseman Carly Willert. Willert came home but her throw sailed high of catcher Hannah Cole, allowing Hansen to tie the game at 1-1.
Rackers provided the game-winning hit one batter later, sending an RBI single down the third base line as Keller crossed the plate with the decisive run.
"That shows the kind of kids we have on this team," Montgomery said. "They're playing with a lot of confidence right now, and that's huge for us going into the conference tournament."
Sunday's game served as Senior Day for the Cougars, as Rackers, Riggs, Greenwalt, Chelsea Yankolovich, and Rachel Coonrod all played their final home game in an SIUE uniform. The win was the Cougars' first Senior Day victory in the last four years.
"I'm just so happy for my seniors," Montgomery said. "They were all on the field today and they all contributed to this victory."
The OVC Tournament will begin Wednesday, where SIUE will open against No. 7 seed Tennessee Tech at 12:30 p.m. The Cougars swept a doubleheader against the Golden Eagles on March 22 in Cookeville, Tenn.
"It's going to be tight this week," Montgomery added. "There's a lot of parody in this conference and there's a lot of teams that can win it. Whichever team minimalizes mental mistakes and gets timely hitting is going to get the job done."
