Feb. 27, 2010
Columbus, Ga. - Southern Illinois relief pitcher Alex Peters held the Tigers scoreless, including holding off a scoring threat in the seventh inning as the Salukis defeated the Auburn softball team 1-0 Saturday evening at the NFCA Leadoff Classic.
Auburn dropped to 8-6 with the loss. Southern Illinois moved to 10-4 with the win. The Tigers will close their stay at the NFCA Leadoff Classic with an 11:30 a.m. CT game against North Carolina State Sunday.
For SIU, Peters entered the game after starter Brittney Lang recorded one out and was pulled from the game. Peters went 6.2 innings, scattering six hits, walking one and striking out two. Peters improved to 4-1 on the season.
Angel Bunner took the loss for Auburn to fall to 3-1 on the season. Bunner went just one-third of an inning and allowed one run, earned, on one hit. Bunner relieved starter Jenee Loree. Loree went 4.2 scoreless innings. Loree struck out a career-best nine hitters, while issuing just one walk, and scattering four hits.
Southern Illinois chased Loree from the game in the top of the fifth inning. After Loree retired the first two batters of the inning, Haley Gorman singled through the right side. Morgan Barchan then hit a roller back to Loree who threw wide of first allowing Barchan to reach and Gorman to advance to third.
Bunner then came in with runners on first and third with two outs. Bunner worked the count to 3-1 before getting Alicia Garza to fly out to center to end the inning without a run scoring.
After threatening to score in fifth, the Salukis broke the scoreless tie in the sixth. On a 1-0 count, Natalee Wessinger blasted a solo home run to left to open the inning and give Southern Illinois a 1-0 lead.
It was Wessinger's first home run of the season and chased Bunner from the game. Anna Thompson relieved Bunner, and promptly ended the inning by striking out the side. Thompson tossed 2.0 hitless innings in relief of Bunner. Thompson fanned five and walked one.
The Tigers mounted a scoring threat in the bottom of the seventh inning. After the first two batters were retired, Kelsey Cartwright singled sharply up the middle and moved to second on a single to left field by Kelley Smiley.
Peters, however, put the brakes on a potential rally when she got Kyndall White to pop up to first base for the final out of the game.