PHOTO GALLERY
FRIDAY'S SCORES
#5 Eastern Kentucky 3, #6 Belmont 1
#5 Eastern Kentucky 4, #3 Austin Peay 3
#2 Jacksonville State 4, #1 Southeast Missouri 3
#1 Southeast Missouri 11, #5 Eastern Kentucky 8
EASTERN KENTUCKY 3, BELMONT 1
OXFORD, Ala - Belmont University Softball saw its OVC Tournament hopes fall short on Friday at Choccolocco Park. After falling behind early, the No. 6 Bruins (31-23) fell shy of taking down No. 5 Eastern Kentucky (33-19) in the Consolation Bracket, dropping the contest, 3-1.
The Colonels were the first to make a dent on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning, using three consecutive singles to plate a pair of runners. EKU went on to successfully hold onto its 2-0 lead for the next two innings of play.
After being held silent offensively to start the game, Belmont used a solo homerun over the left fence from senior Chelsea Thomas (Hot Springs, Ark.) to cut the EKU lead in half in the top of the fifth inning. BU looked to keep the momentum going in the top of the sixth frame. Senior Baylee Cook (Lewisburg, Tenn.) singled up the middle and was moved to second base on a wild pitch. Unfortunately, she was stranded, leaving one of BU's best chances at scoring a tying run on base.
EKU went on to add an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning, using a double and a pair of singles to pull ahead, 3-1. The Bruins made a last gasp attempt in the top of the seventh but the Colonels did not a runner to reach base, cementing their win by the same score.
For the day, senior Chelsea Thomas (Hot Springs, Ark.), sophomore Cheyenne Cavanaugh (Spring, Texas) and freshman Audrey Lyle (Westlake, Ohio) each went 1-for-3 at the plate.
Inside the circle, junior Brooklin Lee (Burns, Tenn.) and sophomore Alicia Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.) split time. Lee fanned a game-high eight batters while Veltri posted a pair of strikeouts.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 4, AUSTIN PEAY 3
OXFORD, Ala. - Austin Peay State University's softball team saw its season come to an end, Friday in Day three of the Ohio Valley Conference Championship, as the Govs saw their late-inning rally come up one run short in a 4-3 loss to Eastern Kentucky.
The Govs (33-22) saw the Colonels (34-19) jump out to a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning and then extent that lead out to four runs, with a three-run fourth inning.
After being held to just three hits over the first five innings, Austin Peay final strung a couple of hits together in the top of the sixth, with Kacy Acree opening the inning with a single – and after stealing second base – scored when EKU's shortstop committed a throwing error on Bailey Shorter's infield single.
Shorter would finish the game 3-for-3 at the plate.
A batter later, Carly Mattson would make it a 4-2 game with an infield groundout, scoring Shorter.
The Govs would continue that momentum into the seventh inning, with Lexi Osowski opening the inning with her third home run of the season, to make it a one-run game, 4-3.
Kelsey Gross then followed with a single to right, to put the tying run on base with no outs.
Natalie Schilling would come into pinch runner for Gross and promptly stole second to get into scoring position.
But the Govs rally ended there, as the next three Govs went down in order with Schilling only being able to move up to third base as the last out was recorded.
Morgan Rackel (21-9) took the complete-game loss, giving up nine hits and four runs – two earned – while walking one and striking out four.
The Gov did have a couple of chances to score earlier in the contest, with Shorter getting into scoring position in the first inning – with one out – and Osowski with a one-out double in the second inning, but both were stranded.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 4, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3
OXFORD, Ala. - Back-to-back swings set the tone and the Jacksonville State softball team held off top seeded Southeast Missouri for a 4-3 win that sends the Gamecocks to Saturday's Championship game of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
Seniors Anna Chisolm and Taylor Beshears hit back-to-back home runs in the third inning to pt four runs on the board for the second-seeded Gamecocks (36-13). Senior Faith Sims then held off the Redhawks (42-16) to lead JSU in the battle of the 2019 OVC Regular Season Co-Champions.
The win puts JSU in Saturday's title game, which will start at 11 a.m. at Choccolocco Park, without a loss in the double-elimination bracket. They will face either SEMO or Eastern Kentucky, who will have to beat the Gamecocks twice to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
JSU is seeking its fourth-straight tournament title, which would tie SEMO (1996-99) for the longest streak of consecutive titles in league history.
Sims (23-4) retired the first eight outs of the game via strikeout and then held on for the one-run win. She struck out 11 batters in the complete game, her 21stin 21 starts this season.
The Gamecocks struck first with four runs in the top of the third, when Chisolm and Beshears went back-to-back with long home runs and put them up 4-0. Chisolm launched a 2-2 pitch well over the wall in right. The two-out, three-run homer followed a leadoff single from Hayley Sims and an error that allowed Jada Terry to reach on her sac bunt attempt. Beshears followed with a towering shot to straightaway center that also came on a 2-2 Rachel Rook pitch.
Faith Sims posted zeroes on the board until the fifth, when SEMO's Sarah Messex's leadoff homer cut JSU's lead to 4-1. The homer was the first off of Sims since Mississippi State hit one on April 3 and just the second by an OVC player this season.
The Redhawks would get two on and the tying run at the plate in each of the final three innings, and Sims escaped the fifth and sixth with no damage.
The seventh saw the Redhawks finally break through. They put two on with no outs and ended up cutting the deficit to one before Sims got Kaylee Anderson to pop out to third to end the game with the tying run standing at third.
Rook (9-4) suffered the loss for the Redhawks after allowing four unearned runs on three hits in three innings. Alexis Estes tossed four scoreless innings in relief, allowing just two hits.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 11, EASTERN KENTUCKY 8
OXFORD, Ala. - Facing elimination 30 minutes after a dramatic 4-3 loss to #2 Jacksonville State (36-13), top-seeded Southeast Missouri (43-16) bounced back with an 11-8 win over #5 Eastern Kentucky (34-20) to set up a rematch with the Gamecocks in the championship round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
SEMO will get another crack at JSU at 11 a.m., CT, Saturday. The Redhawks will need to beat the Gamecocks twice to win the crown and earn the league's automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
Today's win over EKU gave Mark Redburn his 300th in 15 years as a head coach. The victory also marked his 134th at the SEMO helm.
For the second day in a row, the Redhawks ambushed EKU at the start and knocked out the Colonels starting pitcher in a short one-third of an inning.
SEMO sent nine hitters to the plate in a five-run first inning. Mykaela Arellanes led off the game with a single up the middle and Claudia Gallo walked. With one out, Ashley Ellis reached on a fielding error to load the bases. Addison Barnouski followed with a two-RBI single through the left side scoring Gallo and Arellanes, and that was it for EKU starter Murphy McRoberts.
After the pitching change, Sarah Messex smacked a two-RBI double to bring in Barnouski and pinch-runner Mackenzie Long. Messex scored on a two-out single by Parker Bandy to grab the Redhawks an early 5-0 lead.
SEMO stretched its lead with a hat trick of home runs in the top of the second.
Gallo started a string of three-straight solo bombs with a one-out home run to center field. Rachel Anderson greeted EKU reliever Mollie Paulick with a home run to straightaway center on full count. Ellis then drove Paulick's 1-1 offering for the third home run to sail over the center field wall. Ellis' home run, her team-high 16th, tied SEMO's all-time single season record.
Emily Corbitt hit a one-out home run for EKU's first run in the bottom of the fourth.
An inning later, added two more runs courtesy of a RBI-single by Destinee Lizzmore and a stolen base by Melissa Jacobson.
The Colonels gave SEMO a scare in during their last at-bat in the bottom of the seventh.
EKU scored five runs, batted around and narrowed the Redhawks lead to three on Melissa Jacobson's RBI-single. The Colonels had runners on the corners when Hannah Clark came to the plate representing the tying run. Clark, who leads EKU in RBI and ranks second on the team in home runs, flied out to center to end the game.
Haley Thogmartin (21-6) was credited with the win. Thogmartin collected six strikeouts in 4.2 innings. Thogmartin did not allow a walk and gave up five runs on five hits.
SEMO registered 12 hits for its 21st double-digit hit game of the year. Ellis, Barnouski, Messex and Bandy all had two apiece. Barnouski and Messex each added three RBI.
SEMO had OVC Pitcher of the Year Faith Sims on the ropes late in its first matchup of the day and just missed delivering the knockout punch.
Trailing, 4-1, after six-and-a-half innings, Rachael Donald was hit by a pitch and gave way to pinch-runner Long. Long advanced on a wild pitch and Arellanes singled up the middle to score Long. Arellanes later scored when Ellis grounded out to short to make it a one-run game. With two outs, Barnouski was hit by a pitch and stole second. Rachel Anderson was on third and Barnouski represented the game-winning run at second, but Sims forced Kaylee Anderson to pop up to third base ending the threat.
SEMO nearly got by JSU, despite leaving six runners on base over the final three innings and going 2-for-11 (.143) with runners in scoring position in the contest.
JSU hit back-to-back home runs and scored all of its tallies in the top of the third inning.
Haley Sims hit a leadoff single up the middle and Jada Terry reached on an error to give the Gamecocks runners at first and second. Sidney Wagnon advanced the runners on a sacrifice-bunt and Anna Chisholm followed with a three-run home run to right. Taylor Bashears stepped in next and hit a solo shot to straightaway center on another 2-strike pitch. All four runs were unearned as SEMO committed two errors.
Sims improved to 23-4 this season after striking out 11 and walking one in seven innings. She also allowed three runs on seven hits and threw 140 pitches.
Additionally, JSU ran its record to 14-1 in OVC Tournament games at Choccolocco Park.
Rachel Rook (9-4) took the loss. Rook scattered three hits and gave up four runs, all unearned, to go along with four strikeouts in three frames. Alexis Estes tossed four scoreless innings the rest of the way.
Messex went 2-for-3 with a home run and run scored. Messex, who has 10 home runs, became the fourth different Redhawk to get 10 round-trippers in 2019. Arellanes joined Messex with two hits, a run scored and one RBI. SEMO edged JSU, 7-5, in the hit column.
SEMO makes its first OVC Tournament championship appearance since 2011.