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April 21, 2007

Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Southern Illinois backed up its No. 20 national ranking on Saturday, as the Salukis flexed their muscles both at the plate and in the pitching circle on their way to a pair of five-inning wins over the University of Northern Iowa softball team, 14-1 and 10-2, in a Missouri Valley Conference doubleheader at Panther Park.

The Panthers (18-26, 4-11 MVC) were no match for the solid pitching of Cassidy Scoggins and Ashley Hamby and the 33 hits -- including six home runs -- pounded out by the potent SIU lineup.  The Salukis (35-9, 14-3) kept their spot at the top of the Valley standings by jumping ahead in both contests and never looking back.

SIU opened game one with a four-run first inning and carried the momentum to the finish, as 11 of the 12 Salukis who stepped to the plate notched at least one hit and four went deep on a day that saw fierce winds whip across Panther Park.  Katie Wilson homered twice as part of a 3-for-3 effort at the plate, while Becky Wegmann went 4-for-4 with five RBIs, including a home run.

The Salukis added three runs in the third inning, five in the fourth and another pair in the fifth to take the game in five innings via the eight-run rule.

UNI's highlight came in the bottom of the third, as Mandy Kumamoto (Torrance, Calif./West) led off the frame by stroking a triple to deep center field and then scored two batters later when Megan Machovec (DeWitt, Iowa/Central) drove an RBI single through the left side. 

Machovec finished the game 2-for-2 and, combined with Kumamoto, accounted for all three of the Panthers' hits. Machovec also registered a pair of stolen bases for the Panthers to give the freshman 12 on the season, the most by a Panther since all-American Lindsay Wood racked up 23 steals in 2002.

Starter Jen Larsen (Moline, Ill./Moline) took the loss for the Panthers and fell to 9-13 on the season, while Scoggins, a preseason all-MVC pick, allowed just one earned run on three hits to move her record to 18-3 on the season.

The Salukis began game two just as they did the opener, tagging Liz Adams (Marion, Iowa/Linn-Mar), who made her first start since Feb. 10, 2006, for four runs over the game's first two innings. SIU extended its lead to 8-0 with a pair of runs scored in both the third and fourth frames, before the Panthers answered in the bottom of the fourth.

Rachel Gerking (Spirit Lake, Iowa/Spirit Lake) led off the frame with a single to right field and, following back-to-back outs recorded by the Salukis, third baseman Whitney Link (Ankeny, Iowa/Des Moines East) delivered a two-out, two-run homer to left.

The home run, Link's third of the season, cut SIU's advantage to 8-2, but the Salukis responded with another pair of runs in the top of the fifth to take the nightcap by virtue of the run rule, as well.

Adams was hit with the loss and fell to 0-1 on the year, while Hamby (15-3) picked up the victory by allowing just two runs on three hits and striking out seven.

The Panthers and Salukis meet for the finale of the three-game weekend series on Sunday at Panther Park, with first pitch set for noon.

NOTES

Liz Adams' start in game two was her first since the Panthers' game against Stetson on Feb. 10, 2006, a 92-game span between starts.  Adams missed the final 16 games of 2006 after sustaining a season-ending knee injury and made her first appearance of 2007 against Saint Louis on Feb. 25. She had six relief appearances this season before making the start on Saturday. 

The 14 runs, 19 hits and five home runs registered by Southern Illinois in the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader were each season-high marks for a Panther opponent.

With Saturday's wins, the Salukis ran their win streak against the Panthers to 18 straight games, dating back to 2001. Also, SIU has now won 13 of its last 14 games at Panther Park.