Ohio Valley Conference

The game played as a pitcher’s duel for six innings as Shea Morris and Marcy Harper were going blow-for-blow. Harper held the Tigers to two hits and no runs and struck out nine until the final inning. Morris went through the first six allowing two runs, both unearned, on three hits and seven punch outs.

In the seventh, Morris fanned the first two batters reaching nine for the game. The sophomore started off the field on the next batter as she felt she had her tenth of the game, but had to regroup after the pitch was called a ball. Auburn took advantage of the continued at bat and worked two walks, two hits and used a Tiger error to score four runs, only one earned to take a 6-0 lead.

TSU started the bottom of the seventh with back-to-back hits by Tedra Alford and Audrey Sensing to get on the board. Alford collected her second hit of the game before Sensing delivered her second extra base hit of the game. The freshman drilled a ball down the left field line for a double allowing Alford to score from first base cutting the lead to, what would be the final score, 6-1.

In the fourth inning, Sensing drove a ball to right just over the fielder’s outstretched glove. The ball reached the fence giving Sensing the chance to motor around to third for a stand-up triple. It was her second three-bagger of the season.

Morris took the loss and dropped to 6-8 as Harper improved to 9-2.

AUSTIN PEAY 11, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 7; AUSTIN PEAY 8, SOUTHERN ILLINOS 2
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn - Austin Peay State University’s softball team ended a streak of losses to Southern Illinois dating back to 1986, on Tuesday at Cheryl Holt Field, as the Lady Govs swept a doubleheader from the Salukis by scores of 11-7 and 8-2.

The Lady Govs (9-5) entered the day having lost all 13 meetings between the two schools over 28 years on the softball diamond, but hammered Southern Illinois pitchers for 19 runs and 22 hits in the doubleheader.

In Game 1, Austin Peay red-shirt senior Jessica Ryan’s grand-slam home run highlighted a five-run second inning, with junior Amanda De Vries driving in the other run with a single.

Ryan would finish the game with seven RBI.

The two teams would trade runs in the fourth and fifth innings, with Austin Peay’s run in the fifth inning coming on junior Kayla Davidson’s first home run of the season.

Southern Illinois (10-11) would get tow within two runs by scoring three runs in the top of the sixth inning, but the Lady Govs responded with five in the bottom of the inning – highlighted by a bases-clearing double by Ryan -- to go up seven, 11-4.

Southern Illinois would close out the opening game’s scoring with three runs in the seventh for the 11-7 final.

In Game 2, Austin Peay jumped on the Salukis with four runs in the first inning, with red-shirt senior Shelby Norton driving in two runs, with freshmen Mel Pavel and Abby Guest the other two.

The Lady Govs would add to their lead with two more runs in the third inning on a two-run homer by Davidson – her second of the doubleheader.

Davidson had three hits in the nightcap.

Southern Illinois would score singles runs in the fourth and fifth innings, but that would be a close as the Salukis would get, as Austin Peay closed out the game’s scoring with two more runs in the bottom of the sixth for the 8-2 final.

OLE MISS 10, BELMONT 2
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Belmont softball team (7-9) fell just shy of containing the hot bats of visiting Ole Miss (18-11) on Tuesday afternoon at Rose Park.  After working to close the gap to two runs, the Bruins were done in by a late Rebel rally and fell, 10-2.

Ole Miss struck first in the top of the first inning with a run netted on a double to left but strong pitching by freshman Carolyn Snodgress (Torrance, Calif.) held the Rebels to one run.  Belmont kept its opponent off the board through the second inning but Ole Miss struck again in the top of the third inning, adding four to its tally.  The Bruin defense dug in its heels and worked in a pair of squeeze outs to get out of a difficult position.

BU rallied in the bottom of the same, led by a solo homerun over the right fence by sophomore Kat Hollingsworth (Carrollton, Texas).  Classmate Kirbie Ferrell (Pasadena, Texas) was walked and soon Belmont found a pair of runners in scoring position when sophomore Heather Turner (Rosenburg, Texas) was hit by a pitch and the two advanced on a passed ball.  Junior Mia Vierra (Palmdale, Calif.) knocked a single up the middle, scoring BU's second run of the afternoon and cutting the Rebels' lead down to 4-2.

Ole Miss slowly began pulling away, adding a single run in the top of the both of the fifth and sixth innings to increase its lead to 7-2, before exploding in the top of the seventh, tallying three additional runs. 

Ferrell attempted one last rally in the bottom of the same, dropping a single in the middle of the field to push Hollingsworth to second, who reached after was struck by a pitch.  Unfortunately, the pair was left stranded and Belmont could not find an additional run. 

Hollingsworth and Ferrell tallied both of BU's runs in the outing.  

Freshmen Taylor Moon (Vestavia, Ala.) and Snodgress, and junior Brittanie Albright (Franklin, Tenn.) each saw time inside the circle, combining for four strikeouts.

FARLEIGH DICKINSON 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 2; EASTERN ILLINOIS 5, SAINT PETER'S 0
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Eastern Illinois finished day three action at the Florida Rebel Spring Games on Tuesday with another two-game split, falling to Fairleigh Dickinson, 3-2, before blanking Saint Peter's, 5-0.  Panthers now sport an even 8-8 season mark.

Sophomore Hannah Cole continued her recent fine play by going 3-for-5 (.600) at the plate and scoring three times on the day, while tying junior Brooke Owens with four total bases and an .800 slug %.

Owens, finished with a pair of doubles, joined senior Ally Seplak and sophomore Bailey O'Dell with two hits each, while senior Melise Brown drilled her fourth triple of the season.

The junior pitching duo of Stephanie Maday and Hanna Mennenga split duties.  Maday earned the second game win behind six strikeouts, while Mennenga came up short against FDU despite retiring 13 Knights at the plate, which once again came one K shy of tying her career mark set earlier this season.

Team-wise, the Panther defense was flawless with zero errors, as compared to five for the day's opposition.  EIU also led in batting (.218-to-.143), runs (seven-to-three), hits (12-to-seven), and had two stolen bases by O'Dell and freshman Jennette Isaac. 

In the second game victory, the Panthers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead over the Saint Peter's squad in the top of the first, thanks to an RBI single by Cole plated junior Carly Willert, while an untimely Peacock error eventually helped Cole touch home.

Then in the fourth inning, an RBI base hit by Seplak would help bring home pinch runner Isaac, while Owens and O'Dell nailed consecutive RBI doubles to up the Panther lead in the top of the 7th inning for the final margin of victory.

Off 6.1-innings of work, Maday would strikeout five with zero walks to improve her overall mark to 3-3 in the circle.  Junior transfer Janele Robinson came in late to retire the last two Peacock batters to secure the win.

In the first game of the day, Fairleigh Dickinson enjoyed an early 1-0 lead off a solo homer in the second inning, but the Panthers would counter with their own score in the fourth frame as Cole scampered home via a Knights error.

FDU would plate two additional runs, however, in the top of the sixth thanks to a two-run bomb.

Yet Eastern would threatened again in their half of the inning as Cole would eventually score after nailing a walk-up double and then coming home as Owens returned the favor with her own RBI double.  Unfortunately, EIU would strand the game-tying base runner at third.

Mennenga's 13 Ks against FDU included fanning almost half of the 28 Knight batters as she fell to 5-3 on the year with the tough one-run loss.

MISSISSIPPI STATE 7, JACKSONVILLE STATE 2
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Mississippi State grabbed an early 4-0 lead and held off the Jacksonville State softball team on Tuesday night, when the Gamecocks dropped a 7-2 decision to the Bulldogs at University Field.

The Bulldogs (17-6) grabbed a pair of runs in the first and two more in the second and relied on its pitching staff to keep the Gamecocks (13-10) off the board. Their staff kept JSU from mounting a rally by striking out 16 batters and forcing JSU to strand eight runners on base.

Junior Kalee Tabor and sophomore Sara Borders each notched two of the Gamecocks' five hits in the loss, while senior Jessica Guy recorded the other. Tabor was 2-for-3 with a walk, while Borders' two hits came in four at bats.

MSU starter Stephanie Becker (5-1) tossed the first four innings for the Bulldogs and was in command. She notched 11 strikeouts before giving up a pop up to first for the 12th and final out she recorded. She walked two and gave up a pair of hits in her scoreless outing. Kylie Vry gave up both runs, only one of which was earned, on two hits and a walk in her inning, while Alison Owen struck out four and gave up one hit in two frames in the circle.

Senior Hilary Phillips (3-1) started the game for JSU and gave up four runs, three earned, on six hits in 1.2 innings of work. MSU got two in the first despite only getting one ball out of the infield, an RBI single to center by Sam Lenahan. The Bulldogs got two more in the second to chase Phiilips and make way for junior Tiffany Harbin.

Harbin went the final 5.1 innings for the Gamecocks and surrendered three runs on four hits. She struck out six and walked five in an outing that saw her toss 2.1 scoreless before the Bulldogs got one in the fifth and two more in the sixth off of three doubles in the inning.

Trailing 5-0, the Gamecocks got on the board in the fifth with a pair of runs that started with a fielding error by second baseman Heidi Shape that allowed Jessica Guy to score and then a Vry wild pitch that let Borders cross the plate.

Shape, Lenahan and Jessica Offutt each had two hits for the Bulldogs at the plate, while Erin Nesbitt led all players with two RBI.