PEORIA, Ill. – SIUE softball charged through its first game of the 2026 Ohio Valley Conference Championships, dispatching Southern Indiana 9-1 in six innings.
The Cougars, the No. 3 seed, next face second-seeded UT Martin in a 10 a.m. winner's bracket contest Thursday at the Louisville Sports Complex.
SIUE improved to 27-26 with a strong offensive day. The Cougars collected 11 hits and used rallies of four runs in the third inning and three in the bottom of the sixth to close out the game by run rule.
Avery Arwood, the OVC Pitcher of the Year, earned the victory as she allowed four hits in five innings of work. Mia Volpert threw the sixth inning and did not allow a run or a hit in her first OVC Championships outing.
The Cougars used every offensive tool in the win, scoring the first run with patience at the plate in the first inning. Betsy Woodward drew a bases-loaded walk, and Raegan Duncan's pass over the plate gave the Cougars the early 1-0 lead.
Despite leaving the bases loaded in the first inning, SIUE came back in the third inning and scored four times. Aidyn Barrera's slashing single down the right field line drove home Woodward and Abby Harvell.
Kaylin Fahy then singled home Jesslyn Stairs with a single. Fahy attempted to make her way to second, but the Southern Indiana defense fumbled the ball twice, allowing Barrera to swing around to home for the 5-0 lead.
Stairs made it 6-1 in the fourth inning with an RBI single to left. Duncan scored on the play.
The Cougars had a chance to end the game early in the sixth. Duncan led off the inning with a gapping ball to left center. Ashley Duran followed up with an RBI single up the middle. After Harley Limberger pinch hit and drew a walk, Harvell sacrificed the runners over.
Southern Indiana then made its second pitching change of the game with Kylie Witthaus entering after two innings from Anna Kemp and three more from Elly Robbins.
Stairs welcomed Witthaus to the game with an RBI single up the middle. The Cougars closed out the game on a Barrera fly ball that was dropped on the infield, allowing Limberger to score.
