Carbondale Reporter

The Southern Illinois University (SIU) softball team secured a victory against Bradley with a score of 6-3 on Friday in Carbondale. This success marked SIU's sixth consecutive win, highlighting their strong performance at home this season.

SIU now stands at a record of 15-2 when playing at home, making them the only undefeated team in home games within the Missouri Valley Conference for this year. Head coach Jen Sewell commented on the team's performance, sharing, "Honestly, I thought we had some locked-in moments and some lackadaisical moments. I want to see more adrenaline from this team for the rest of this series."

In the match, SIU recorded six runs on seven hits with one error, while Bradley managed three runs on five hits, committing no errors. Bradley scored all their runs in the seventh inning.

Pitcher McKenzie Newcomb, who is now 14-5, allowed four hits, three earned runs, and one walk while striking out three within four innings. Emma Gipson started the game strongly, giving up just one hit and securing one strikeout over three innings.

Anna Carder had a notable performance by going 2-for-4, contributing a two-run home run in the fifth inning. Mikaela Coburn added to the team's tally with two hits, scoring one run.

The game's progress saw Emma Gipson and Bradley's Sydney Kennedy engaged in a pitcher's duel through the initial innings at Charlotte West Stadium, maintaining a 0-0 score until the third inning. Southern Illinois managed to load the bases in the second inning but did not score. Gipson completed her part with another set of three straight outs in the third inning, developing a 2.74 ERA.

In the fourth inning, with Newcomb in as the pitcher, SIU began opening the game with Sage Grann's two-run double, initiating the team's momentum. The Salukis extended their lead to 4-0 in the fifth inning following Carder's home run.

The Braves' efforts to narrow the deficit in the seventh inning featured a three-run home run from Olivia Turner. However, SIU held their ground, with Newcomb concluding the game with a solid finish.

Reflecting on the players' execution, Sewell mentioned, "The lefties did their job tonight, though. I was impressed with those early runs starting from the bottom of the lineup."

The Salukis are set to face Bradley again in their next game on Saturday at 2 p.m.