Ohio Valley Conference

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - For the most part, the Morehead State softball team played toe-to-toe with home standing Northern Kentucky on Wednesday at the Frank Ignatius Grein Softball Field in Highland Heights, Ky. However, Norse pitcher Abigail Byrd was just a little bit better, as she finished the day without allowing an earned run or walk in a 2-1 victory in a contest that lasted one hour and 31 minutes.
 
In what was mostly a pitchers' duel, Byrd had the edge, going the distance to get the win.
 
As it has done throughout the late-season non-conference portion of the schedule, Morehead State (7-32) employed strategic use of its staff by using four pitchers for no more than two innings apiece. Collectively, the group allowed five hits, two earned runs and four walks, while striking out two.
  
All the scoring came in the first inning.
 
Senior left fielder Jordan Donato was hit by a pitch. Junior third baseman Sela Pickford singled to right-center field and junior shortstop Noemye Letendre reached on an error to load the bases with one out. Sophomore right fielder Sophie Collins reached on a fielder's choice to third base on which Donato was able to score. But a fly out to center field capped the scoring at one run.
 
Northern Kentucky (17-23) picked up two hits, two walks and three stolen bases in its half of the inning, and that was all the damage needed for the Norse to pull out the win. With one out and runners on second and third, Peyton Mueller-Stenz grounded out to first base, but it was enough for Mack Brow to score. The next batter, Brooke Keltner singled to left field pushing Brielle DiMemmo home.
 
There were only seven hits and 11 additional base runners throughout the rest of the game, with eight getting into scoring position, including Eagle junior center fielder Maddy Christopher reaching third with two outs in the top of the seventh.
 
The MSU pitching staff struck out the final batter of the first and another with one out and a runner on second in the third to quell a pair of Norse threats.
 
Northern Kentucky loaded the bases courtesy of a single and a pair of walks in the fifth to mount its only other challenge on the afternoon, but Christopher reined in fly ball to keep the hosts from adding to their lead.
 
Morehead State put runners on base in every inning but the third and fifth but could only get a runner to third base in the seventh.
 
Christopher beat out an infield hit in the second and Collins did the same in the fourth. Donato was hit by a pitch later in the fourth to put two Eagles on base.
 
In the sixth, Collins singled to right field and advanced to second on an error on the play. But the Eagles' best chance came in the seventh, when Christopher doubled to left-center field with one out. A ground out moved her to third but a fly out to shallow right field ended the game.
 
MSU finished the day with five hits, one error and eight runners left on base. NKU also had five hits, with two errors and eight left on base.
 
Both Christopher and Pickford recorded hits to stretch their totals to 34 and 32 respective contests with at least one this season, while Christopher extended her current hitting streak to a season-high 10 games.
 
Christopher and Collins each finished with two hits to lead the Blue and Gold. Pickford had the other one. Collins had the RBI and Donato scored the run.
 
Five different Norse batters had hits, with the RBI and runs also spread evenly among four players.
 
Junior Ainsley Stubbs got the start and suffered the loss to fall to 7-11. She pitched two innings and allowed two hits and two runs (both earned), with two walks and a strikeout. Freshman Allicen Harris also threw two innings and surrendered one hit. She also had a strikeout. Senior Emma Solis was in for one inning of work and gave up one hit, while walking two. Senior Rylie Burney pitched the final inning and yielded just one hit.
 
Byrd went the distance for the hosts to get the win and improve to 5-5. She surrendered one unearned run on five hits, with no walks, while striking out two. She did hit two batters.
 
MSU dropped to 5-25 on the road this season, while NKU moved to 7-9 at home and snapped a three-game losing streak.
 
Morehead State will conclude the home portion of its schedule this weekend against Southeast Missouri. The schedule has been adjusted due to storms in the forecast and will include a doubleheader on Sunday with a single game on Monday. Sunday also will be Senior Day, when the club will honor Burney, Taikibrea Campbell, Christopher, Donato, Alivia Parks and Solis.

EASTERN ILLINOIS 6, UIC 3

CHARLESTON, Ill. - Abbi Hatton laced a three-run home run to straight away center in the bottom of the third inning to help carry Eastern Illinois softball to a 6-3 win over UIC on Wednesday night at Williams Field.
 
It was the Panthers first win over the Flames since the 1997 season as EIU won its sixth straight game improving to 27-20 on the season.  UIC dropped to 19-27-1.
 
Trailing 3-2 entering the third Lizzie Stiverson and Alisha Frederick both singled to open the inning.  After Flames starter Jasmin Whorley (14-13) picked up two outs from the next two batters, Hatton put the Panthers in front with her fifth home run of the season giving EIU a 5-3 lead.  Hatton finished 2-for-3 at the plate.
 
The Panthers added an insurance run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Stiverson as the senior went 3-for-3 at the plate. 
 
Alisha Frederick had two hits extending her streak of consecutive games reaching base to 23 straight.  Her RBI triple in the first scored Stiverson before she came home to score on a Mo Hance ground out.
 
UIC scored twice in the first inning with a two-run double by Sam Tourtillott.  The Flames tacked on another run in the third with an RBI single by Siena Stickney to center field.  Stickney extended her consecutive game hitting streak to 20 games, second longest currently in the NCAA.  She and Cameran Rios both had two hits.
 
Karlie McKenzie entered in the second inning in relief and tossed four innings for the win improving to 8-8.  Bryanna French had a scoreless two innings to close out the game for her fourth save.

SAINT LOUIS 7, LINDENWOOD 6
ST. LOUIS - The Lindenwood Softball team (23-21, 12-9 OVC) fell on Wednesday night by a score of 7-6 at Saint Louis. Madisen Noll led the Lions offensively going 3-3 and driving in a team-high three runs, but the Billikens put up six runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the season finale. 

After a scoreless two innings on both sides, Noll got the Lions on the board first in the top of the third inning with a solo home run to left field that hit off the foul pole to give Lindenwood a 1-0 lead, but SLU responded immediately in the home half of the third inning on a sacrifice fly to even the score at one. That was all the Billikens would get however as Ava Risum was able to limit the damage by getting a lineout after the sacrifice fly to keep the score knotted at one heading to the top of the fourth.

After neither team scored in the fourth, Noll delivered her second hit and RBI of the contest in the top of the fifth inning on an RBI infield single that scored Sadie Sexauer to put the Lions back in front by a score of 2-1. Jalese Hays protected that lead in the bottom of the fifth by recording a one-two-three inning behind two groundouts and strikeout, but the Lions could not add onto their lead in the top of the sixth as the Lions would go down in order to send the game to the bottom of the sixth. SLU put up six runs in the home half of the sixth inning to take a 7-2 lead behind three hits and three defensive errors committed by the Lions to grab a 7-2 lead, but the offense for Lindenwood woke up in the top of the seventh. 

Dallis Darnell got the rally started with a one out single to centerfield and came around to score two at bats later behind Noll's third hit and RBI of the game to cut the deficit down to 7-3. Anna Sanders would then drive in Noll on an RBI triple to right field to cut the Billiken lead down to 7-4, and Sanders scored on a Tori Hatton RBI double to make it a 7-5 game just like that. Kylee Crowder and Danielle Franz kept the two-out rally going as Franz recorded an RBI single to right center to make it a 7-6 game, but the rally would end there as SLU would record the third and final out of the inning to hold on for the 7-6 victory.

MISSOURI 7, SIUE 0
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Missouri snapped SIUE softball's five-game winning streak Wednesday in a 7-0 contest at Mizzou Softball Stadium.

SIUE dropped to 22-25 overall while the Tigers bumped their record up to 25-24.

Marissa McCann went the distance in the circle for Mizzou, fanning 11 batters.

Mia Volpert, 6-9, took the loss for the Cougars. She allowed two runs on eight hits in her 3 2/3 innings of work. Kiana Villa and Haley Strain came out of the bullpen over the final three innings.