April 18, 2014
Box Score
Carbondale, Ill. - Despite holding a one-run lead through six and a half innings, the Loyola University Chicago softball team fell to Southern Illinois, 2-1, in the first game of today's doubleheader. The Salukis orchestrated a two-run seventh-inning comeback to earn the victory in the Missouri Valley Conference series opener, and the Ramblers fall to 16-25 overall and 7-10 in the MVC with the loss.
Loyola's sole run of the contest came at the start of the game, as the top of the Rambler line up manufactured a balanced attack. After Alyssa Mannucci led off with a single, Jessica Balzano followed it up with a double to put Ramblers at second and third base. Lauren Moore then hit a sacrifice fly to right field, plating Mannucci to give Loyola a 1-0 lead.
Brittany Gardner was dominant in the circle for the Ramblers through the entire game, giving up a leadoff single to start the game in the bottom of the first inning and allowing no more knocks until the game-winning single in the bottom of the seventh inning. Gardner collected give strikeouts in the loss, retiring the Saluki side for three consecutive frames from the third to the fifth innings.
Loyola threatened to score in the top of the fifth inning, when the Ramblers' two starting freshman sparked a two-out rally. After Erica Nagel singled and stole second base, Mannucci hit her own single to put Ramblers at the corners. A Loyola ground out ended the inning, however, allowing the Salukis to escape unscathed.
After a quick inning for the Rambler lineup in the top of the seventh inning, Southern Illinois' Kelsey Gonzalez led off the bottom of the frame with a sharply hit double down the left field line. Gonzalez then moved to third base on a sacrifice bunt, and Allie Vadeboncouer drew a walk to put Salukis at the corners. After Vadeboncouer was replaced by pinch runner Kara Kimball, Kimball stole second and catcher Tarran Shaffer's errant throw allowed Gonzalez to score, tying the game at 1-1. Kimball was able to advance to third base on the play and then crossed home plate on a subsequent Meredith Wilson single, giving Southern Illinois the 2-1 victory.
Loyola is back in action in 30 minutes when they take on Southern Illinois in the second game of today's doubleheader in Carbondale, Ill.
