Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year Danielle Glosson pitched top-seeded Southern Illinois past the Missouri State softball team in semifinal action Friday at the State Farm MVC Championship, holding the Bears to just one hit over 10 innings while tying a tournament record with 18 strikeouts in a 2-0 win for SIU.
Christina Trapani provided the only offense of the contest with a two-out, two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to hand the Salukis a hard-fought victory. Glosson (24-12) was dominant throughout the contest, holding the Bears hitless for seven innings and matching Carissa Winters’ MVC Championship record for strikeouts in a single game.
MSU right-hander Natalie Rose (8-12) was nearly as impressive as Glosson in working her fifth consecutive complete game for the Bears. The sophomore matched the SIU righty through 9 2/3 innings, allowing just three hits while fanning equaling her season high of nine strikeouts. After Rose quickly retired the first two batters of the 10th, Natalee Weissinger lined a single to center to extend the inning, before Trapani belted an 0-1 offering over the wall in right-centerfield for the game-clinching homer.Â
Bubba Weiss’s lead-off double in the eighth provided the fifth-seeded Bears lone hit and best scoring opportunity of the afternoon. Lauren Eisenreich sacrificed Weiss over to third, but Glosson got Delayna Gary to chase a third strike, then retired Stevie Pierce on a fly ball to center to end the inning.Â
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The Bears (20-31) move on to play an elimination game at 4 p.m., Friday against the loser of the second semifinal.
