Box Score EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE softball rallied for seven runs in the first inning, added five runs in the third and overpowered Western Illinois 12-0 in five innings Friday at Cougar Field.
The Cougars evened their season record to 26-26 and 17-8 in the Ohio Valley Conference. Western Illinois dropped to 13-30 overall and 8-17 in the OVC. The two teams play games two and three in the series Saturday. The first pitch is at noon.
Avery Arwood threw four innings for the victory, her 11th of the season. McKayla Anderson completed the SIUE shutout with a scoreless fifth inning.
After Arwood retired the first three Western Illinois batters in the top of the first inning, SIUE's bats erupted for eight hits in the bottom half of the inning. SIUE sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning and pushed starter Libby Spaulding, now 8-13, out of the game in the opening frame.
Five different Cougars recorded RBIs in the first inning. Ashley Duran was first with a two-run double that scored Juztyne Torres and Raegan Duncan. Abby Harvell drove home Duran after a Gretchen Trello single. Betsy Woodward singled home Trello. Jesslyn Stairs pulled the ball through the right side and two more runs scored. Torres, who was batting a second time in the inning, drove home a run on an infield out.
The SIUE offense left little doubt with another rally in the bottom of the thrid. This time, Torres started the scoring as she drew a fourth straight walk from Western Illinois pitching for an RBI. Duncan then cleared the bases with a three-RBI double. Harvell added a double to the left-field fence that scored Duncan.
SIUE outhit Western Illinois 12-3.
