EDWARDSVILLE – Two teams looking to move up in the Ohio Valley Conference standings ended up with a split Saturday at Cougar Field.
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SIUE defeated Morehead State 2-1 in the opening game. Morehead State took advantage of five SIUE errors in game two of the doubleheader to defeat the Cougars 6-2. SIUE is now 13-18 overall and 7-5 in the OVC. The Eagles landed at 19-18 overall and 7-5 in the OVC.
"We have to play better. That's the bottom line," said SIUE Head Coach Sandy Montgomery. "We have a standard in our program, and we're not meeting it. I will always believe in my kids to come through in the end, and we're going to keep plugging away until we get it right."
The Cougars have two more games scheduled for the weekend against Eastern Kentucky, which suffered its first two losses of the conference season at Eastern Illinois. Game time for the first of two games between SIUE and EKU is noon.
In Saturday's opener, SIUE right-hander Baylee Douglass outdueled Mackenzie Grossman for the victory. Grossman yielded seven walks but just two SIUE hits. Douglass allowed three hits and walked five.
Aggressive base running proved to be the difference in the game.
SIUE scored both of its runs in the bottom of the fifth. Alyssa Heren started the scoring as she was hit by a pitch. After a walk to Jordan LaFave, Tess Eby hit a ball to the gap in right-center field that was nearly caught, allowing Heren to score and LaFave to move to second.
Montgomery said LaFave had a good day overall.
"Jordan really had quality at bats today," said Montgomery. "She played well defensively and made adjustments to their hitters."
With one out, Rachel Keller hit the ball to the right side. With Morehead State trying for the double play, LaFave sprinted past third and scored the eventual game-winner.
"When I saw they were trying to turn a double play," said Montgomery, "our runners have to trust me, and I just kept her going. She (LaFave) runs the bases well."
In game two, Morehead State scored runs in the final four innings for the win. Karly Thompson led the Eagles with three hits, including a solo home run in the seventh inning.
Ashley Koziol took the loss for the Cougars. Allison Rager improved to 10-4 for the Eagles.
Heren hit her sixth home run of the season in the game, a solo blast in the sixth.
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