MURRAY — The fact that Southern Illinois had sealed the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season softball championship long before its regular-season finale series this past weekend against Murray State states the obvious.
This is one fine softball team and the fact that the Salukis (now 39-9 and an imposing 23-4 in The Valley) swept the Racers (23-29, 10-16 in the league) in the three games at Racer Field was anything but a surprise. However, the fact that the much-more experienced Salukis did not do as they had done to almost every other Valley opponent this season — utter domination — seems to serve as a big positive for Murray State. SIU, champion of The Valley tournament a year ago, was averaging a staggering 10.3 runs per game entering the weekend and was held to well below that figure in three games that all were in doubt until the late innings.
However, Murray State Head Coach Kara Amundson, almost two full seasons removed from leading her program to her only NCAA Tournament appearance, wants to see more from her Racers.
“I think we’re doing some things well, but you want to step up in big moments and we haven’t always had that happen throughout the year,” Amundson said of how there are some moments from this series her team would love to replay.
One of those was in Friday’s 1-0 loss in which the Racers had two runners on base with only one out at the bottom of the sixth inning but failed to score. SIU’s returning All-Valley First Team combination of Jackie Lis and Elizabeth Warwick then opened the seventh with a triple and double to plate the only run.
The Racers were on SIU’s heels again in Game 2 Saturday, trailing only 1-0 when Warwick validated their standing with a two-run home run to right field in a 3-0 win. However, the most frustrating moment came in the seventh inning of Game 3, also on Saturday, as the Racers finally proved they could score on SIU pitching and only trailed 3-2 in the seventh when Emma Austin’s sun-aided triple broke open the game in a 6-2 SIU win.
“I thought all three (Murray State pitchers) — Jenna (Veber), (Courtney) Roby and Bri (Haislip) all did a job, and we did a have some good plays from our defense (particularly on running catches from multiple outfielders and several dazzling efforts on the infield, including one for a double play on Friday),” Amundson said. “That was just a super unfortunate play at the end of (Game 3) and, after the first two games (of being held scoreless), we had been able to chip away and had made it a one-run game. “Those are plays you just cannot have at this time of year.”
The fact that the Racers were held scoreless in Games 1 and 2, though, is hardly a crime. Where the Racers flashed some leather throughout the weekend. SIU had its own strong exhibition in the field and that gives a clue for why ace lefty Maddia Groff is No. 2 in the nation in ERA (0.75 entering the weekend) and is now 28-3. She also came into the weekend averaging a strikeout per inning, but only registered nine in her two games combined as the Racers constantly put the ball in play. However, they could only get two hits, although two balls off the bats of Lily Fischer and Calista Collins pinned SIU outfielders against the fence for long outs on the best balls hit against the freshman phenom all weekend.
