FRIDAY SCORES
#2 Eastern Kentucky 2, #1 Southeast Missouri 1
#4 Jackonville State 8, #3 Ausitn Peay 4 (8)
#1Southeast Missouri 4, #4 Jacksonville State 3 (8)
EASTERN KENTUCKY 2, SOUTHEAST MISSOUIR 1
OXFORD, Ala. - The Eastern Kentucky University softball team knocked off No. 1 seed Southeast Missouri State, 2-1, to advance to the championship of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament tomorrow afternoon.
Eastern Kentucky (34-15, 22-9 OVC) got off to a fast start in the top of the first. Sammi Miller got hit by pitch on the first pitch of the game. Zoe Mihalicz followed with a single to left field to put runners on first and second with no one out. Carly Robinson jumped on the first pitch she saw with a single up the middle to score Miller and give the Colonels a 1-0 lead just three batters into the game.
Southeast Missouri (29-16, 23-6 OVC) answered back in the bottom half of the inning. After a pair of walks, Katie Dreiling took a 1-1 pitch into center field to score Kaylee Anderson and tie the game at 1-1 after an inning of play.
Both pitching staffs settled in after that.
The Colonels retook the lead in the top of the third after Miller destroyed a 0-1 pitch to lead off the inning and give EKU the 2-1 advantage.
The top three hitters in the order for the Colonels each had a hit.
Mollie Paulick (12-1) picked up the win in the circle tossing four and one-third innings allowing one run and striking out six. Samantha Reynoso tossed two and two-third innings allowing no runs and striking out one.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 8, AUSTIN PEAY 4
OXFORD, Ala. - Alexus Jimmerson hit an eighth-inning grand slam and earned the win in the circle to lift the Jacksonville State softball team to an 8-4 win over Austin Peay and help the Gamecocks advance in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament at Choccolocco Park.
Jimmerson, a senior from Jackson, Tenn., was 1-for-4 in the game, but her hit was the biggest one of the game. The blast was her fifth hit against the third-seeded Governors (27-16) in 2021, all of which were home runs. She hit four in the Gamecocks (24-24) series vs. APSU earlier in the season.
She also tossed 4 and 1/3 innings of relief to earn the win and improve to 5-4 on the season. She limited the Govs to a run on three hits and struck out three in the circle.
She and the Gamecocks advance to a 6 p.m. elimination game with top-seeded Southeast Missouri, second-seeded Eastern Kentucky awaiting the winner in Saturday's Championship Game.
The Gamecocks wasted no time getting on the board against the Govs, thanks to a long solo blast from freshman Shelby Newsome in the top of the first. The Hatchechubbee, native deposited Harley Mullins' 0-1 pitch into the parking lot beyond the berm behind the left field wall and gave JSU its first lead of the tournament.
The Govs tied the game in the third, plating an unearned run on a Kendyl Weinzapfel RBI single into center, but the Gamecocks had a quick answer.
In the top of the fourth, Megan Fortner's leadoff double sparked a three-run frame that gave JSU a 4-1 lead. Sidney Wagnon reached on a bunt single and then scored with Fortner on Chaney Phillips' double into the left field corner. Jada Terry then drove in Phillips from second to put JSU up by three.
Austin Peay cut into the lead in the Govs half of the fourth, scoring a run on Brooke Pfefferle's sac fly and another when Bailey Shorter's bloop single to left cut JSU's lead to 4-3.
Pfefferle tied the game in the fifth with an RBI single to left, and Terry kept the score tied by throwing out Emily Moore at the plate to end the inning.
The score remained tied until the eighth, when Jimmerson delivered her game winning blow. Caroline Lively walked and Bobbitt and Newsome singled to load the bases, and Jimmerson lifted Jordan Benefiel's first pitch deep into the parking lot beyond the right field wall.
The blast was Jimmerson's fifth home run against Austin Peay this season and gave herself the four-run lead in extras.
Kelsey Gross (9-3) suffered the loss in the circle, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks in 4 and 1/3 innings of relief work.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 4, JACKSONVILLE STATE 3
OXFORD, Ala. -Freshman Kelby Robinson delivered a go-ahead RBI-single and Kaylee Anderson followed with a two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning to send top-seeded Southeast Missouri (30-16) to a thrilling 4-3 victory over fourth-seeded Jacksonville State (24-25) Friday night at Choccolocco Park.
SEMO eliminated JSU from the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament for the second-straight time and advances to face second-seeded Eastern Kentucky in Saturday's Championship. First pitch is set for 12 p.m., CT.
Tied, 1-1, Rachel Anderson got things going in the eighth inning with a one-out single. Anderson went to second on a passed ball and scored the go-ahead run on Robinson's hit to center. Anderson beat the tag on a close play at the plate and Robinson picked up the first RBI of her career.
On the next play, K. Anderson belted a home run that sailed over the left center wall to put SEMO ahead, 4-1. The round-tripper marked Anderson's third of the tournament.
JSU pulled to within a run on a two-run home run by Jada Terry in its final at-bat in the eighth. The Gamecocks then had runners on first and second with two outs when Paytience Holman relieved starter Rachel Rook. Holman struck out pinch hitter Reagan Watkins to eliminate JSU.
"It was a battle and both teams fought hard until the very end," said SEMO head coach Mark Redburn. "After Rachel got on base, Kelby and Kaylee also had clutch hits. We tried a lot of different things and came up big late. What a great game!"
SEMO took the game's first lead in the top of the third inning, where Austine Pauley ripped a leadoff single to left field and went to second on an ensuing walk by Jillian Anderson. Alyson Tucker moved the runners on a sacrifice bunt and Kynzie Wrigley walked to load the bases. R. Anderson flied out to center and Pauley scored to give the Redhawks a 1-0 lead.
JSU managed to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth. Alexus Jimmerson led off with a double to left center. Jimmerson, after going to third on a passed ball with two outs, stole home on the front end of a double steal to make it a 1-1 ballgame.
Rook (20-8) won her 20th game of the season and moved into a tie for fifth with Missy Sanges (20 wins, 1989) on SEMO's all-time single-season wins list. She allowed four hits and three runs, and struck out nine in 7.2 innings.
Holman's huge game-ending strikeout nailed down her first career save.
"That was big for Paytience," said Redburn. "To be able to come in at that moment and shut them down like that should give her a lot of confidence. She also pitched great in the first game against Eastern Kentucky today."
Nicole Rodriguez (8-9) suffered the loss. Rodriguez went the distance allowing four runs on seven hits in eight innings. She also struck out 13 and walked two.
Both Rook and Rodriguez threw a total of 133 pitches.
R. Anderson went 3-for-3 with a run scored and one RBI to lead SEMO which tallied seven hits. K. Anderson followed with two hits and a run scored, while Pauley and Robinson both added a hit and a run.
Through three OVC Tournament games, K. Anderson is hitting .625 (5-for-8) with five runs, three home runs, eight RBI, a 1.750 slugging percentage and .700 on-base percentage.
SEMO won its 30th game marking the 18th time in program history where it recorded 30 or more wins in a season. The 30-win season is the Redhawks third since the 2018 campaign.
The Redhawks, who make back-to-back OVC Championship appearances for the first time since 1998 and 1999, must beat the Colonels twice to claim the title.