SUNDAY'S SCORES
Gardner Webb 9,
Morehead State 5
Jacksonville State 10, Bowling Green 5
UMBC 7,
Morehead State 4
Eastern Kentucky 9, North Carolina Central 0
Eastern Illinois 7, Buffalo 6
Mississippi State 8,
Southeast Missouri 4
Drake 7,
UT Martin 3
Murray State 7, Saint Louis 4 (9)
Mississippi State 3,
SIUE 0
Nicholls State 3,
Belmont 2
Jacksonville State 8, Youngstown State 3
Ohio 3, Tennessee Tech 2
@Memphis 2,
Southeast Missouri 1
@Louisville 5,
Eastern Illinois 0
Samford ,
Belmont 4
Murray State 10, ULM 2
@Tennessee State 7, IUPUI 2
Butler 7,
@Tennessee State 3
GARDNER WEBB 9, MOREHEAD STATE 5; UMBC 7, MOREHEAD STATE 4
WILMINGTON, N.C. - The Morehead State softball team dropped a pair of games to Gardner-Webb and Maryland-Baltimore County on Sunday at UNC Wilmington.
MSU scored five runs off six hits, but the effort wasn’t enough as it dropped its first contest of the day, 9-5, to Gardner-Webb. In the second contest of the day, UMBC used a five-run seventh inning to defeat MSU, 7-4. The losses dropped MSU to 2-5. The Runnin’ Bulldogs improved to 1-4, and UMBC moved to 1-7.
In the opener, senior Katie Pfost pitched 5.2 innings and suffered the loss in the circle to drop to 2-2, and junior Greta Smeins threw 2.1 innings of relief. Pfost was charged with six earned runs.
Senior Kayla Ashbrook led MSU with a pair of doubles, and fellow senior Anna Sommer had a pair of RBI.
In game two, UMBC got itself on the board early, and the Eagles were forced to play catch-up until they took an eventual 3-2 lead in the sixth inning. Ashbrook connected on her first home run of the season in the inning, and freshman Tressa Watson rapped an RBI single.
The comeback was not enough as UMBC strung together a series of singles to start the seventh inning and went on to the victory.
Smeins allowed the tying and go-ahead runs on base before Pfost entered the circle in relief. Smeins fell to 0-2 with the decision. Both Pfost and junior Kelcey McMurray had two strikeouts for the Eagles.
Ashbrook led MSU offensively with a pair of hits and an RBI, and senior Adrena Anderson also added a pair of her own.
The Eagles are back in action on Friday when they travel to East Tennessee State for the Buccaneer Challenge. MSU will face Bowling Green and ETSU twice over the weekend.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 9, NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Redshirt sophomore Shannon McQueen and freshman Sarah Fobbs each homered as the Eastern Kentucky University softball team rolled to a 9-0 win over North Carolina Central Sunday morning in the 2013 Frost Classic finale.
Eastern went 4-1 over the weekend at the Frost Classic with the lone loss coming to host Chattanooga by a count of 4-3.
The Colonels are now 7-2 this season, which is their best start in 10 years.
McQueen’s home run came in the second inning to put EKU ahead, 3-0. Fobbs had a three-run blast one inning later during a five-run outburst for the Colonels.
Sophomore pitcher Shaylon Robb tallied the victory by going the first three innings and allowing just one hit.
Fobbs hit .500 (4-of-8) at the Frost Classic with two home runs, eight RBIs and three runs scored. Senior Raquel Howes led all EKU players with seven hits this weekend and scored five times.
Eastern Kentucky’s early season road schedule continues next weekend at the Under Armour Classic hosted by USF in Clearwater, Fla.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 1, SIUE 0
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Mississippi State scored the game's only run in the first inning in a 1-0 victory over SIUE softball at the finale of the Blues City Classic.
Sam Lenahan singled to center field to score Ashley Phillips for Mississippi State which improved to 9-4. SIUE finished the weekend 2-2 despite yielding just two hits Sunday. The Cougars are 6-5 overall.
Montgomery said SIUE starter Haley Chambers' pitch to Lenahan was a good one. It was fisted into center field for the eventual game winner.
Chambers allowed three base runners after the first inning. She struck out four in six innings and is now 3-2 this season.
The Cougars allowed less than 10 hits from their opponents during the four games this weekend. Montgomery said matching up the right pitchers against the right opponents gives the team the best chance to excel.
Alex McDavid had SIUE's only hit of the game, a fourth-inning double off Mississippi State's Alison Owen. McDavid also led off the seventh inning, was hit by a pitch, and stole second base but was stranded on second.
Next up for SIUE is a six-day road trip to Florida. The trip begins in Orlando with games Mar. 5 against Boston College and Central Florida.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 8, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 4; MEMPHIS 2, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1
SOUTHAVEN, Miss. - Southeast Missouri (3-7) fell to Mississippi State (8-4) and Memphis (5-8) Sunday afternoon, 4-8, 1-2, respectively.
After defeating Detroit Friday evening, Southeast lost four straight games at the 2013 Blues City Classic, hosted by Memphis. The Redhawks tied for 11th place out of 12 teams. Taylor Cowan earned All-Tournament 2nd Team.
Southeast Missouri 4, Mississippi State 8
A comeback in the seventh inning fell short as Southeast Missouri fell to SEC opponent Mississippi State, 4-8.
Mississippi State jumped ahead in the third and never looked back. The Bulldogs got on board in the third on an RBI double from Sam Lenahan to take an 0-1 lead.
Mississippi State manufactured two runs in the fourth and three runs in the fifth, shutting-out Southeast 0-6 going in to the Redhawk's half of the fifth inning.
Southeast put a run on the board in the fifth that started with Xia Wilson reaching base on a fielding error by the shortstop. Summer Burger was put in to pinch run for Wilson; advanced to second on a ground-out, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a single from Elysia Mesa, 1-6 Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs put up a run in the sixth and seventh innings to lead 8-1 with the Redhawks coming up to bat in the final inning.
Southeast came up short on a comeback in the final inning that began with Jamie Woodworth hitting her first double of the season down the right field line to get aboard for Southeast. With two out, Alexis Anderson reached on a fielder's choice on a failed attempt to get Woodworth out at third. Kaitlin Zink stepped in and roped a double to left center to score Woodworth and Anderson while advancing to third on a throwing error by the shortstop, slicing the Bulldog lead to 3-8. Zink scored on a ball-four wild pitch, 8-4 Bulldogs. Southeast's comeback attempt came to end on a ground-out to second base, ending the game.
Mississippi State out-hit Southeast 5-9. Five different Redhawk batters combined for five hits in the contest.
Logan Foulks went 3-for-3 for the Bulldogs, scoring twice.
Lindsey Patterson (1-2) recorded the loss for Southeast in 6.0 innings of work, the longest outing of her career. L. Patterson gave up four runs, three of which were earned, on six hits, striking out two batters and walking four.
Stephanie Becker (2-1) pitched 6.2 innings giving up two runs on four hits. Becker struck out 13 Redhawk batters in the contest.
Southeast Missouri 1, Memphis 2
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning. Until that point, Cowan retired 10 straight Tiger batters. Memphis got a runner aboard, bunted her over, and scored on an RBI single to go up 0-1 on Southeast.
In the top of the sixth with two out, Zink tripled to deep right-center field to get a Redhawk runner on. Simone Patterson hit an RBI double and advanced to third on an error on the center fielder to tie the game. The Redhawks stranded two runners in an attempt to grasp the lead.
Memphis scored the winning run in their half of the sixth on a throwing error by Savannah Carpenter which would have gotten the Redhawks out of the inning, going up 1-2 on Southeast.
Southeast and Memphis tied in hit with four apiece.
S. Patterson went 2-for-3 with an RBI against Memphis.
Morgan Mosby also went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
Cowan (1-4) pitched her third complete game of the season, going 6.0 innings. Cowan walked three and struck three batters out.
Jordan Richwood (2-2) earned the win for Memphis. Richwood struck out a career-high 16 batters.
Southeast opens its home schedule next weekend when they host the 2013 All-Missouri Cancer Classic. The tournament will feature No. 17 Missouri, Missouri State, Saint Louis, and UMKC. Southeast plays Saint Louis at noon followed by Missouri at 2 p.m. on Friday, Mar. 1.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 12, BOWLING GREEN 5; JACKSONVILLE STATE 8, YOUNGSTOWN STATE 3
KENNESAW, Ga. - The Jacksonville State softball team used a record-tying performance from Krystal Ruth to down Bowling Green 12-7 and then defeated Youngstown State 8-3 on the final day of the Kennesaw State Phyllis Rafter Memorial Tournament on Sunday.
Ruth, a senior from Wylie, Texas, went 5-for-5 in the early morning win over Bowling Green, just the third time in school history a player has had five hits in a game and the first since Melinda McDonald did it twice in 2004. The other player to achieve the feat was current assistant coach Julie Boland in 1998. Ruth singled four times and doubled once to drive in a pair of runs and score three more.
She started the game with a leadoff double at about 7 a.m. CT that sparked a four-run inning that would put the Gamecocks in the driver's seat. Junior Kalee Tabor delivered the big blow of the frame with a two-run double and then scored on an Amanda Martinez Sacrifice fly. She singled in the second, an RBI knock to center that scored freshman Ella Denes and gave JSU a 5-2 lead. Ruth also had singles in each the fourth, fifth and seventh innings to cap her historic morning.
JSU had five doubles in the game, with two of them coming off of Tabor's bat. She and senior Jessica Guy each went 2-for-5 in the 15-hit outburst, while sophomore Savannah Sloan went 3-for-5 with an RBI. The Gamecocks saw the Eagles cut the lead to two twice before a pair of two-run innings in the fourth and fifth gave JSU a more comfortable cusion for the pitching duo of Hilary Phillips and Casey Akenberger.
Phillips, a senior that made her return from an arm injury suffered last season on Wednesday, tossed the first four innings to earn her first win of the season. She surrendered three runs, just one earned, on two hits, while striking out two and walking two. Akenberger notched her first career save with three innings that saw her allow four runs, only one earned, on three hits and three walks. She recorded one strikeout.
Braiden Dillow suffered the loss for the Eagles after allowing five runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings in the circle. Paris Imholz gave up four, while Jamie Kertes surrendered the other three. Katie Yoho and Andrea Arney each homered to pace the BGSU offensive attack.
In the final game of the day, the Gamecocks erased a 2-0 deficit and used a five-run third inning to pull away from the error-prone Penquins. YSU committed six errors that led to three unearned runs, two of which came in that third inning.
After the Penguins put a pair on the board in the second, the Gamecocks got one back in a two-error bottom half of the inning. In the third, JSU notched just one hit but used two errors, two walks and a hit batter to take control of the game.
Another error cost YSU a run in the fourth, and Tabor delivered a solo homer in the seventh to cap JSU's scoring.
Junior Tiffany Harbin earned the win in relief after holding the Penquins to a run on four hits in just five innings in the circle. She fanned seven of the 15 batters she retired in relief of starter Savanna Hennings, who allowed two runs, one earned, in her two innings.
Hana Somoygi was tagged with the loss after allowing eight runs, five earned, on four hits in six innings. She struck out two and walked three.
Sophomore Sara Borders led JSU at the plate with a 2-for-4 game that included a double and run scored.
The Gamecocks will host Georgia Tech on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at University Field and will also dedicate the newly renovated facility in a pregame ceremony that will begin at 4:30 p.m.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 7, BUFFALO 6; LOUISVILLE 5, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Eastern Illinois softball earned Louisville Cardinal Classic runner-up team honors as the Panthers clawed past Buffalo, 7-6, before falling to the No. 18-ranked host squad, 5-0, on Sunday (Feb. 24). EIU now sports an even 4-4 mark in early spring action.
Sophomore infielder Bailey O'Dell paced EIU with a 3-for-6 day at the plate, including three RBI and a double. Senior Melise Brown tied O'Dell with four total bases off two hits, including a crucial triple, while the outfielder also picked up the lone EIU stolen base.
Junior pitcher Hanna Mennenga finished her fine weekend play going 1-1 overall in the circle as she recorded 10 strikeouts, by allowing two walks and earned runs off seven-innings of work. Classmate Stephanie Maday also saw five-innings of action with three Ks.
Defensively, the Panthers turned a very rare triple play in the tourney finale loss at Louisville, as Maday caught a low line drive before delivering to junior Carly Willert and O'Dell at first and second bases, respectively, to tag a pair of Cardinal runners.
In the first game versus Buffalo, the Panthers had an early 4-2 lead before the Bulls plated four consecutive runs to enjoy a 7-4 advantage heading into the sixth frame.
But Eastern took advantage of a UB miscue before sophomore Hannah Cole drilled a two-RBI double to secure the Panther comeback victory.
In just over two-innings of work, Mennenga earned the nice win by retiring six Bulls via strikes to finish with an impressive 24 total Ks over the course of the weekend.
O'Dell also nailed a double in the win to finish with three total hits, as Brown had a hit and a triple.
In the tourney finale versus the Cardinals was a close game through three frames, before the No. 18-ranked host squad plated a run in the fourth and then broke open with four additional scores in the next inning.
However, the Panthers would end up stranding six runners in the contest thanks to five walks and a single by senior Abby Wood.
EIU will next be in action at next weekend's Marshall Invitational playing both Robert Morris (Penn.) and Buffalo once, before twice taking on the host Thundering Herd.
NICHOLLS STATE 3, BELMONT 2; SAMFORD 5, BELMONT 4
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Despite keeping their bats warm from the previous day, the Belmont softball team (6-6) was edged in its final two games of University of Memphis' Blues City Classic on Sunday. The Bruins were held off by Nicholls State, 3-2, before falling to Samford, 5-4.
Nicholls State jumped out to an early 3-0 lead at the bottom of the first inning. The Bruins remained in a deficit until the top of third where they were able to narrow the gap to one run. Sophomore Kat Hollingsworth (Carrollton, Texas) smacked her eighth double of the season to get things started for BU. Classmate Kirbie Ferrell (Pasadena, Texas) followed with one of her own to send Hollingsworth home. Junior Kim Johnson (Tucson, Ariz.) knocked a triple to left field, tallying Belmont's second run of the inning.
The teams fell into a back and forth battle for the remainder of the innings but neither was able to add a run to its tally. BU came close in the fourth inning when sophomore Heather Turner (Rosenburg, Texas) smashed a triple but she was stranded and unable to cross the plate as Belmont was held off, 3-2.
BU struck first in its second game of the day, a matchup with Samford. The Bruins tallied three runs in the top of the second inning. Senior Becca Gift (Durham, N.C.) reached on a walk and Turner doubled to left to put two runners in scoring position. A single by Johnson scored Gift and kept two in scoring position. Junior Ashley Hammer (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) was hit by a pitch, loading the bases and opening the door for freshman Jessica Wilson (Alvin, Texas) to collect two RBI on her single to centerfield.
Belmont carried its 3-0 advantage into the top of the fifth, when it added one more to its tally. Junior Mia Vierra (Palmdale, Calif.) doubled up the middle. Gift was up next and used well placed bunt to reach base. Quick footed Vierra hustled around the bases to score on an ill-timed throw, putting the Bruins on top, 4-0. Samford fired back in the same inning, scoring four runs to knot the score. Neither team was able to break the stalemate in the sixth inning. Despite another single by Vierra, BU was unable to send her over the plate in the top of the seventh. Samford rallied in the seventh to break the stalemate and went on to narrowly take the game, 5-4.
For the day, Johnson, Hollingsworth and Gift batted .500. Turner recorded two triples, while Johnson and Wilson finished with a pair of RBI.
For her efforts during the tournament, Hollingsworth was named to the Blues City Classic All-Tournament First Team.
Inside the circle, freshmen Carolyn Snodgress (Torrance, Calif.) and Taylor Moon (Vestavia, Ala.) tossed six innings each. Snodgress finished with four strikeouts.
Belmont returns to action on Thursday, February 28 at E.S. Rose Park. The Bruins host UTEP for a doubleheader slated to begin at 3:30 p.m. The games can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network and live stats will be available.
OHIO 3, TENNESSEE TECH 2
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Ohio University stormed back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Tennessee Tech softball team, 3-2, in dramatic fashion Sunday afternoon at the Frost Classic, thanks to two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning.
The Golden Eagles finished the Classic with a 3-2 record, improving to 7-6 overall.
Tech ace Taylor Ketchum (5-2) retired the first five batters she faced before giving up a single in the second inning. The sophomore made it to the fifth inning before giving up a run. Ketchum finished the sixth without a Bobcat reaching a base, but the top of the seventh proved to be a different story.
Ketchum struck out the leadoff batter, before giving up a single to the tying run. The next batter she faced would be the winning run, as Ohio's Alyssa Wolfe hit a home run off the Tech starter, to gain a 3-2 advantage.
Tech was also held scoreless through three innings, despite having runners in scoring position in the first and third inning. Junior catcher Kendall Hooper sent a deep double up the right side and scored off of Chanelle Spalding's single just two batters later. Spalding also scored, after stealing second, and tagging to third on a sacrifice fly by freshman Cortney Fly. Spalding flew home on a wild pitch by Ohio's starter Savannah Dorsey, giving Tech a 2-1 lead.
Tech's bats went cold as the Golden Eagles didn't get another hit for the remainder of the contest.
Kendall Hooper was the only Golden Eagle to connect for two hits, and freshman Madison Taylor and Chanelle Spalding each had one hit.
Tech remains in-state to play in the Purple and Gold Challenge, March 2-3, hosted by Lipscomb. Tech will face IPFU, UTEP and Lipscomb across four games in two days.
MURRAY STATE 7, SAINT LOUIS 4; MURRAY STATE 10, ULM 2
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Despite dropping their first two game of the weekend, the Murray State softball ball team battled back to win its final three games, including both on Sunday, to capture the 2013 Arkansas Invitational championship in Fayetteville.
The Racers (4-5) opened play on Sunday in the first semi-final against Saint Louis, a team it lost to on Friday. The Billikens (3-5) once again struck first and took a 2-0 lead in the opening frame after the Racers committed an error and walked in a run.
However, in the second, the Racers took away the lead with three runs of their own. Alexa Becker started the scoring with an RBI double and was followed by an RBI single from Sarah Anderson. Christian Cox wrapped up the scoring in the frame when she was hit by a pitch and allowed Anderson to cross the plate.
The advantage, however, would be short lived as Saint Louis took a 4-3 lead with a two-run bottom of the second. The Billikens did their damage with an RBI single from Jessica Buschjost and a sacrifice bunt from Alyson Brand.
It looked like Saint Louis would get their second win of the weekend against Murray State until the top of the sixth inning. After Shelbey Miller reached base on a fielder’s choice, Mo Ramsey brought her home in the next at bat with an RBI triple to tie the game at four.
With neither team able to score in the seventh, the Racers headed to extra innings for the first time this season and the 14th time in program history. The eighth was equally as uneventful, so the game went to the ninth, and ultimately, final inning.
Leslie Bridges got the inning stated off with a walk and was moved to second by a single from Becker in the next at bat. Castile followed Becker and sent MSU surging ahead with a three-run home run to left field for the 7-4 lead.
CheyAnne Gaskey (1-2) returned to the circle in the bottom of the inning to see if she could help send the Racers to the title game. With the help of the defense, Gaskey got MSU out of the inning to seal the victory for her team. With her strikeout in the ninth, Gaskey set a school record for strikeouts in a game with 14.
With the win, Murray State advanced to the championship of the invitational against Louisiana-Monroe, who knocked off host Arkansas in its own extra inning affair.
In the championship, it was all Murray State. The Racers scored in each inning and won the game via the right-run rule. Becker, Castile, Anderson and Ellyn Troup all homered in the game, while Miller, Bridges and Castile recorded doubles.
Shelby Kosmecki (3-3) earned the win in the contest by allowing just two runs off of eight hits with three strikeouts over six innings.
Next weekend, the Racers will travel to Birmingham, Ala., for the Magic City Classic hosted by Samford and UAB. While in Alabama, MSU will take on South Alabama, UAB and Nicholls State.
DRAKE 7, UT MARITN 3
OXFORD, Miss. - UT Martin fell to Drake, 7-3, in its final game of the Red and Blue Classic on Sunday morning.
Sophomore Lauren “G” Smith belted her third home run, a three-run blast, of the Red and Blue Classic against Drake in the bottom of the third inning, but it was only one of three hits the Skyhawks could muster in the 7-3 loss.
Lindsey Fiegl and Deven Wilson accounted for the Skyhawks’ other two hits.
Wilson hit .500 in the five-game, three-day tournament at Ole Miss, while Smith batted .333 with four hits, three of which were home runs. She also had eight RBI.
The Skyhawks stole 10 bases in the tournament. Taylor was 4-for-4, while Wade was 5-for-5 on the base paths.
TENNESSEE STATE 7, IUPUI 2; BUTLER 7, TENNESSE STATE 3
NASHVILE, Tenn. - Tennessee State earned their first win of the season as they hosted the Tiger Invitational. The Tigers picked up a 7-2 win over IUPUI before going down 7-3 at the hands of Butler. TSU moved to 1-10 on the season, while IUPUI fell to 5-8 and Butler improved to 2-7.
The Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run single by Jennifer Givens. Tedra Alford scored from third, while Ashley Haynes scored all the way from second base on a slap to the shortstop side of the pitching circle that Givens beat out.
TSU added a run in the third and another in the fourth in what seemed like déjà vu. Kiarra Freeman scored on an errant throw after stealing third base in the third. An inning later, Lindsey Burgess crossed home plate in the exact same manner as Freeman, extending the lead to 4-0.
IUPUI picked up two runs in the top of the fifth inning, only to see the Tigers answer back with three in the bottom half of the inning. Audrey Sensing was hit by a pitch with bases loaded to plate Freeman. Kate Morris drove in the final two runs of the game with a single to left center driving in Givens and Haynes.
Olivia Gamache (1-4) earned the win by scattering seven runs and one walk, while striking out three over six innings. Shea Morris struck out two in a perfect inning of work in a non-save opportunity.
Game two started in the same fashion as game one with the Tigers taking an early 1-0 lead when Kacey Daugherty scored on a ground ball by Haynes. The lead was short lived as Butler picked up runs in the third and the fourth innings to take a 3-1 lead.
Haynes led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a double to centerfield and scored on a sacrifice fly by Burgess, cutting the score to 3-2. The Bulldogs increased their lead with three runs in the fifth and another in the seventh.
TSU tried to rally in the bottom of the seventh, as Freeman drove Burgess home on a two out single. Trailing 7-3 with two outs and runners on first and second, Kate Morris stepped to the plate with a chance to get the Tigers closer and extend the game. Morris drove the ball to deep centerfield, but the Bulldogs were able to track the long fly down and secure the win.
Shea Morris (0-6) took the loss as she allowed just two earned runs. The sophomore pitcher fanned eight batters, giving her a total of 19 on the weekend.
Haynes and Gamache were named to the All-Tournament team. Haynes batted .714 (5-for-7) with a double, a triple and three walk, giving her an on base percentage of .800 (8-for-10) on the weekend. Haynes also scored a team high four runs and picked up an RBI. Gamache finished with a 1-1 record and a 1.50 ERA.
The Tigers will travel to Irondale, Ala., for the Tiny Lassiter HBCU Classic. TSU will play five games during the three-day tournament, with the first on Mar. 2.