Ohio Valley Conference

MARTIN, Tenn. - There is no time like the present and the Morehead State softball team took that to heart as it claimed a critical 1-0 road victory over the University of Tennessee-Martin on Monday afternoon to close out the weekend Ohio Valley Conference series at the Bettye Giles Softball Field in Martin, Tenn.

It was the team's first shutout since defeating the Skyhawks on the same date in 2024. Just like that victory two years ago, the score was 1-0 and the game took place in Martin. The Eagles have shut out an opponent since, but that 9-0 win over Southern Indiana came at home and took just five innings.

The win could not have come at a more opportune time as Morehead State (7-31) closed to within a game and a half of Western Illinois in the race to earn the No. 8 spot in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in three weeks. Also on Monday, WIU fell on the road to Tennessee State 20-9 in five innings. TSU also remains in the hunt for the final berth to the league championship. WIU leads the trio with a 7-13 OVC record, while the Eagles are 6-15 and the Tigers sit 2-19. All three teams have six games remaining.
 
UT Martin (28-18/15-5) sits squarely in second place in the conference standings and decisively won the first two games of the series on Sunday, 5-0 and 7-0. UTM fell to 16-4 at home and ended a five-game winning streak at Giles Field. The Eagle victory also snapped a Skyhawk six-game winning streak and raised MSU's true road record to 4-13.
 
All the action took place in the fourth inning. Junior third baseman Sela Pickford led off the frame with a single to center field that was misplayed, allowing Pickford to round the bases and end up at third. After junior shortstop Noemye Letendre's attempted sacrifice bunt was unable to move Pickford, junior second baseman Sage VanDemark hit a ball up the middle that UTM second baseman Kennedy Brown fielded and attempted to throw out Pickford at home. The original call was that Pickford was out, but the play was reviewed and overturned. The next two batters ended the inning after a ground out and a fly out.
 
The win was the team's fifth in the last 16 outings, after starting the year with just one victory in its first 20 games and two in its first 26.
   
MSU did not get its first hit until the third inning, but the hosts got started quickly, picking up a pair of hits in the opening frame. The Skyhawks also stole two bases in the bottom of the first, but sophomore catcher Nyla Doiron threw out a runner trying to take third on a third attempt.
 
Freshman designated player Kylie Mann led off the third with a single up the middle. After a fielder's choice, junior center fielder Maddy Christopher extended her hitting streak to nine games and her stretch of reaching base to 37 outings this season. However, the inning ended during the next at-bat, leaving runners at first and second.
 
The Eagles put two more runners on base in the fifth. Junior first baseman Mia Mascarenas singled and senior left fielder Jordan Donato was hit by a pitch.
 
Morehead State added two more hits in the sixth. With one out, VanDemark singled to center field and sophomore left fielder Sophie Collins beat out an infield single. After a second out, Doiron reached base on a dropped third strike to load the bases, but the Skyhawks were able to get out of the jam without allowing additional damage with a strikeout.
 
In the seventh, the fifth consecutive inning in which MSU got a hit, Christopher led off with a single up the middle. But it was the team's final offense of the day.
 
UT Martin continued to struggle to generate enough offense as its seventh inning production was limited to a one-out walk.
 
MSU won for just the second time this season when it out-hit its opponent. The Skyhawks' four hits were the fewest the Eagles have allowed this spring.
 
Conversely, Morehead State finished with seven hits, its 25th time reaching that plateau this year. UTM had the lone error. The Eagles stranded nine base runners, while the Skyhawks left six.
 
Christopher had two hits to pace the Blue and Gold. Pickford, VanDemark, Collins, Mann and Mascarenas had the others. VanDemark had the lone RBI, with Pickford scoring the only run.
 
Karena Recrosio had a team-best two hits for the hosts.
 
Stubbs went the distance to improved to 7-10 on the year. She now has five complete games and has won her five of her last 10 appearances and five of her 13 total starts. She finished with a four-hit shutout, while striking out a career-high eight and allowing just three walks. In two appearances against the Skyhawks this weekend, she tallied 15 strikeouts and walked four.
 
Stubbs has won all seven of MSU's games this year and has more victories than anyone since Lennon Spicer finished with nine in 2021.
 
Payton Harris got the start, pitched five and one-third innings, giving up one unearned run on five hits. She added one strikeout and no walks in falling to 4-4. Sami Scholtz threw one and two-third shutout innings in relief and surrendered just two hits and no walks, while striking out three.

TENNESSEE STATE 20, WESTERN ILLINOIS 9  (5)
NASHVILLE - The Tennessee State softball team delivered one of its most explosive offensive performances of the season on Sunday afternoon at Tiger Field, defeating Western Illinois 20-9 to close out the Ohio Valley Conference series with a dominant run-rule victory.

Courtney Richardson earned the win in the circle for Tennessee State, entering in relief and providing steady innings while the Tigers' offense erupted behind her.

Tennessee State wasted no time setting the tone offensively. After Western Illinois plated an early run, the Tigers immediately answered in the bottom of the first inning. JaKeyla McDaniel and Jasmine Blackburn reached base to spark the rally before Jace Jackson launched a two-run triple into left center to give TSU its first lead. Hailey Hunt followed with an RBI single, and Dani James added another run-scoring hit to cap a four-run opening frame.

The Tigers continued to apply pressure in the second inning, producing a massive offensive surge that broke the game open. Tennessee State sent multiple hitters to the plate and strung together quality at-bats throughout the lineup. Jackson delivered another RBI hit, Hunt cleared the bases with a two-run triple, and Alexis Woods added an RBI single as TSU's momentum continued to build.

Mariyah Brown highlighted the inning with a three-RBI double, while Noelani Wilkerson later added a two-run single as the Tigers poured on runs. Aggressive baserunning, disciplined approaches at the plate, and consistent contact allowed Tennessee State to score 14 runs in the inning and take firm control of the contest.

Offensively, the Tigers showcased balance from top to bottom. Jackson finished with three hits and three RBI, Hunt recorded three hits and four RBI, and Woods added a perfect day at the plate with three hits and two RBI. Wilkerson contributed three RBI, while McDaniel and Blackburn repeatedly set the table by reaching base and creating scoring opportunities.

Defensively, Tennessee State settled in behind its pitching staff after the early innings. Richardson worked efficiently in relief, limiting opportunities and allowing the Tigers to maintain their commanding advantage heading into the final frames.

The Tigers added insurance runs in the fourth inning as Kayden Porter drove in a run with a double before Wilkerson executed a sacrifice bunt to extend the lead. Tennessee State closed out the victory with confidence, securing its highest run total of the season and an emphatic home win in front of the Tiger Field crowd.