EAST PEORIA, Ill. – With her team facing elimination at the GLVC Softball Championship Tournament, UIndy pitcher
Lauren Honkomp delivered a clutch performance Saturday evening, blanking Truman by a score of 3-0 and sending the second-seeded Hounds to Sunday's conference final.
The Greyhounds earned a rematch with top-seeded Missouri-St. Louis to decide the 2019 league title. With the Tritons yet to take a loss this weekend, UIndy will need to defeat them in consecutive games tomorrow. The first contest is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After enduring a marathon
10-inning loss to UMSL earlier in the day, UIndy went to Honkomp in an elimination game against a dangerous Bulldogs lineup. The two-time All-GLVC hurler responded by having one of her best games of the season, spinning a three-hit, eight-K shutout to up her record to 21-4 on the season.
Truman finished with three hits – all singles – with two coming from three-time GLVC Player of the Year Christa Reisinger. UIndy, meanwhile, had seven base hits against Rachael Kernich (1-2), who made her 18th appearance in the circle this season but just her sixth start.
UIndy broke the seal early, pushing across two runs in the top of the first. Both
Hanna Burris and
Gianni Iannantone singled and stole second base to put runners at second and third for catcher
Taylor Danielson. The Twin Lakes, Wis., product produced the biggest hit of the game, as her single to left plated what proved to be the game winning runs.
Danielson played a big part in the Hounds' third and final tally as well. Her leadoff double in the fourth set the table for
Sydnie Foster, who slapped an RBI single through the left side to cap the scoring.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Both of Truman's losses at the conference tournament came versus UIndy, with the first coming in Friday's
second-round game. Otherwise, the Bulldogs earned three wins this weekend, including a first-round victory versus No. 22 Southern Indiana.
- Reisinger came into the game with a league-leading 57 stolen bases, but was thrown out by Danielson trying the swipe second. It marked just the fifth caught stealing for Reisinger this season.
- UIndy is now 4-0 all-time versus Truman at the GLVC Tournament, with three of those wins being shutouts.
