Sports Zone March 16, 2024: Salukis softball extends winning streak to 12, Groff continues to dominate

CARBONDALE, Ill. (KBSI) – The Southern Illinois University softball team entered Saturday on an 11-game winning streak.

The Salukis have been led in the circle by a one-two punch of Madi Eberle and Maddia Groff, and it was more of the same in game two of a weekend series with Drake.

Eberle tossed three scoreless innings to start the game, and Groff entered the game in the top of the 4th with a runner on third, no outs, and the Salukis leading, 2-0. 

A squeeze play would bring in the Bulldogs’ first run of the game, and then Groff, who has been nothing short of incredible in her first year of college softball, continued to dominate. 

She would toss the final four innings, giving up just two hits, striking out three, and again not surrendering a run, her 12th appearance of the season without giving up a run, and the second straight day she held Drake scoreless. 

And after a 5-0 victory on Friday, the Salukis clinch a series win and extend their winning streak to 12 games by a final score of 2-1. 

The Salukis are now 19-4 overall, and head coach Jen Sewell said this team has a rare level of unselfishness about them… 

“It doesn’t matter who plays, who doesn’t play. Everybody has everybody’s back,” she said. “Like if you played ahead of me today, I have everything for you. We’re all in for everybody. I think that’s very rare in the team chemistry situation.” 

The Salukis will go for the sweep of the Bulldogs and a baker’s dozen wins in a row on Sunday at noon. 

And at Itchy Jones Stadium, the Salukis baseball team, winners of six games in a row themselves, hosted Jacksonville State in game two of their series. 

And the Gamecocks would get on the board first with a two-run blast to left-center by Logan Walters in the top of the 2nd, but the Salukis would strike back. 

With two outs and on a 2-2 count, the Salukis’ big first baseman Trey Cutchen hit an absolute bomb to right, and this two-run shot had us right back where we started, tying the game at two. 

But Jacksonville State would end the Salukis’ winning streak at a half dozen, as the Gamecocks won on this day, 9-6. 

The rubber match of this three-game set will be Sunday at 1 pm.