A late rally helped Southern Indiana take an opening round win over the William Jewell softball team in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships Friday morning in East Peoria, Ill. The Screaming Eagles used a five run sixth inning to turn a 5-4 game into a 10-4 final and send the Cardinals to the losers bracket.

Madi Giles continued her outstanding junior season as she led off the game with a single through the right side. After two strikeouts from GLVC Freshman of the Year Jennifer Leonhardt, Sydne Brashear singled, advancing Giles to third. Giles then scored on an illegal pitch to break the ice first before a double to from Kelsey Morgan, scored Brashear and Madelynne Greenstreet, to quickly make it 3-0 Cardinals. 

The lead didn't last long however, as USI's Haley Hodges blasted a two-run home run over the right field wall to bring the Eagles back within one after just one inning of play. In the bottom of the second, USI posted four hits and scored three runs to take a 5-3 advantage. 

The Cardinals made a pitching change at the end of the second, bringing on freshman Sarah Lewis who managed to shut down the Eagle offense for three innings, but also helped herself with a solo home run, her second of the season, to bring Jewell within a run at 5-4 after four frames. 

Things began to unravel for the Cardinals in the bottom of the sixth as two home runs made it a 9-4 game and prompted another pitching change from head coach Dustin Combs, as Taylor Friesen came on in relief. USI added one more run before a foul out finally ended the inning at the final score of 10-4. 

The Cardinals were outhit 17-6 led by two hits from freshman Emily Hoover. Starter Anna Biondo (17-9) took the loss in the circle after going 1.2 innings, allowing five earned runs on seven hits with a strikeout. 

The Cardinals will look to bounce back quickly as they take on Truman State at approximately 3:00 p.m. in an elimination game.