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WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
#6 Belmont 7, #7 UT Martin 0
#5 Eastern Kentucky 6, #8 SIUE 2
#3 Austin Peay 4, #6 Belmont 2
#5 Eastern Kentucky 5, #4 Murray State 3
#6 BELMONT 7, #7 UT MARTIN 0
OXFORD, Ala. - Belmont University Softball used a grand slam to pick up its first win of the 2019 Ohio Valley Conference Tournment on Wednesday morning. The sixth seeded Bruins (31-21) defeated No. 7 UT Martin (29-27), 7-0.
Belmont wasted little time in its pursuit of its second Ohio Valley Conference tournament win in program history. The Bruins saw sophomore Cheyenne Cavanaugh (Spring, Texas) notched a leadoff single up the middle to get things rolling. She was quickly joined on base by seniors Baylee Cook (Lewisburg, Tenn.), who was named All-OVC Second Team, and Hayley Baker (Rockwall, Texas) who loaded the bases after their back-to-back singles. Juniors Bailey Sims (Flowery Branch, Ga.) and Brooklin Lee (Burns, Tenn.) pushed the first two runs over the plate thanks to walks, putting Belmont ahead, 2-0. The Skyhawks changed pitchers but it did little to stop the hot bats of BU. Senior Chelsea Thomas (Hot Springs, Ark.) took a hard swing at the second pitch she saw, unloading a grand slam, the program's first at the league tournament. The explosion saw the Bruins take a commanding 6-0 lead.
Belmont maintained a stranglehold on the contest down the stretch. In the bottom of the third frame, BU added another run. Sophomore Elison Ollinger (Robins, Iowa) reached on a dropped foul ball error and was moved to second with a groundout. A long single up the middle by Cook sent her home to extend the Bruins' lead to 7-0.
BU held onto a no-hitter through the first four and a half innings before the Skyhawks would record what would go on to be their lone hit of the day in the top of the sixth inning. It was of no consequence, however, as the Bruins went on to easily take the contest, 7-0.
For the day, Cook went 3-for-4 with a stolen base while Cavanaugh went 2-for-4.
Inside the circle, Lee, who was named All-OVC Second Team, and sophomore Alicia Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.) split time, combining for five strikeouts.
Belmont returns to action on Wednesday at 3 p.m. taking on No. 3 Austin Peay. Recap coming soon.
#5 EASTERN KENTUCKY 6, #8 SIUE 2
OXFORD, Ala. - SIUE softball bowed out of the Ohio Valley ConferenceTournament Wednesday at Choccolocco Park, dropping a 6-2 contest to Eastern Kentucky.
SIUE's season ends with a 16-28 record.
Eastern Kentucky, 31-18, scored three runs in the first inning and never trailed.
Conner Cutright, Alana Cobb-Adams and Abby Marlow each had two hits for the Cougars, which scored both of their runs in the fourth inning.
EKU struck back with a single tally in the fourth and two more in the fifth.
Emily Ingles took the loss for the Cougars. Mollie Paulick earned the win with four relief innings for the Colonels.
#3 AUSTIN PEAY 4, #6 BELMONT 2
OXFORD, Ala. - Behind solid pitching, timely hitting and errorless defense, Wednesday at Choccolocco Park, Austin Peay State University's softball team opened play at the Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament with a 4-2 victory over Belmont.
With the win, the third-seeded Governors (32-20) advance to Wednesday's first winner's bracket semifinal game, where they will face second-seeded Jacksonville State (34-13), at 9 a.m.
The Govs fell behind early, when starter Kelsey Gross (8-1) gave up a solo home run to the Bruins in the top of the second inning, but Austin Peay responded with two runs of it own in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead, 2-1.
Lexi Osowski and Gross would draw back-back one-out walks to get the rally started for the Govs, and after a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, Drew Dudley drove both runners in with a two-out double to left field.
The Govs would add to their lead in the bottom of the third, scoring two more runs, with Danielle Liermann and Carly Mattson reaching base on back-to-back one out singles, followed by a double by Morgan Rackel off the first baseman's glove – driving in pinch runner Natalie Schilling – with Mattson coming in when the ball off the first baseman's glove went out of play.
That would be more than enough runs for the Govs pitching staff, with Gross only allowing one more run to the Bruins in the top of the fourth, before Rackel came in to pitch the final three innings -- giving up one hit and one walk, while striking out three – to earn her second save of the season.
#5 EASTERN KENTUCKY 5, #4 MURRAY STATE 3
OXFORD, Ala. - – The Eastern Kentucky University softball team picked up a pair of wins on the opening day of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament to move into the semifinals of the winner’s bracket.
EKU (32-18) won game one, 6-2, against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, before defeating Murray State University, 5-3, in game two.
In game one Eastern scored three runs in the first inning and never looked back against SIUE.
Melissa Jacobsen started the inning with a walk putting a runner on first with one out. Hannah Clark followed with a double down the left field line to put runners on second and third. After falling behind 0-2 in the count, Emily Corbitt singled to left field to give Eastern the early 1-0 lead. Zoe Mihalicz followed with a double into the right center gap to cap a three-run first inning.
SIUE (16-28) answered back in the top of the fourth. After three straight singles by Zoe Schafer, Alana Cobb-Adams and Abby Marlow, Edwardsville cut the lead to 3-1. Kloe Hilbrenner brought in the second run of the inning with a sac fly to right field.
In the bottom of the fourth, Mihalicz got the Colonels started with a hit by pitch. After a walk by Carly Robinson put runners on first and second with no one out, the two runners advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. With one out Brooke Harrison executed the squeeze to perfection to bring home Mihalicz and take a 4-2 lead.
After Clark reached on an error in the bottom of the fifth and advanced to second on a ground ball, Corbitt brought in her second run of the game with a single back up the middle to take a 5-2 lead. Erica Bowers walked to put runners on first and second. Robinson followed with a RBI single up the middle to take the 6-2 lead.
Mollie Paulick (13-7) picked up the win in the circle going four innings in relief and striking out four.
Corbitt went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs. Mihalicz chipped in a 1-for-2 performance with one double and two RBIs.
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In game two Murray State scored in the bottom of the first after Madison Culver brought home Lillie Goetz to give the Racers an early 1-0 lead.
The Colonels responded in the top of the third. Erica Bowers got things started with a leadoff walk. Brooke Harrison laid down a bunt and everyone was safe after the third baseman threw the ball into center field. Sammi Miller delivered after that, she sent a 1-1 pitch down the left field line to tie the game at 1-1. Melissa Jacobsen wasted no time giving Eastern the lead. Jacobsen sent a 1-0 pitch over the shortstop’s head to bring home Harrison and take a 2-1 lead. Desitinee Lizzmore brought in the final run of the inning after a RBI groundout.
Murray State (26-26) responded in the bottom half of the inning after Sierra Gilmore doubled home Goetz to make the Eastern lead 3-2 after three innings.
In the top of the fifth Lizzmore delivered the knockout punch. After a Clark single got things started with one out in the top half of the inning. Lizzmore sent the first pitch she saw over the right field fence for her 15th of the year to give Eastern the 5-2 lead.
The Racers answered with one in the bottom of the fifth but could never get any closer.
Samantha Reynoso (10-2) picked up the win in the circle tossing two and two-third innings of relief allowing one run. Paulick picked up her seventh save on the year.
Eastern returns to the field tomorrow when the Colonels take on No. 1 seed Southeast Missouri State University. First pitch is at 11:30 a.m.