Five exciting days of the 2018 DII Softball Championship came to an end on Monday with Southern Indiana sweeping its way to the program's first national championship. The Screaming Eagles defeated Saint Anselm 4-0 and 8-3 in consecutive game en route to their first title.
Southern Indiana entered the tournament as the No. 8 seed but was coming off a red-hot postseason run to get to Salem. Starting with the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament, Southern Indiana capped a 14-1 run — including a perfect 5-0 in Salem — Monday at the Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Virginia.
Jennifer Leonhardt was at it again in Game 1. She tossed five more shutout innings as Haylee Smith came on to close out Saint Anselm 4-0. The Screaming Eagles exploded for a seven-run, two-out rally in the second inning of Game 2 and never looked back, winning the decisive game by five runs. It was another complete game for Leonhardt who was sensational from start to finish in Salem, starting all five games for Southern Indiana. Claire Johnson had her second big day in a row, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs in the clincher.
Game 1: Southern Indiana 4, Saint Anselm 0
Game 2: Southern Indiana 8, Saint Anselm 3
Southern Indiana made program and Division II softball history, adding a new name to the all-time champion's list. The Screaming Eagles are your 2018 DII softball national champions. Be sure to relive the best moments from the championship series in the blog below.
