SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Jacksonville State 8, Tennessee State 0
Eastern Illinois 6, @Austin Peay 2
Southeast Missouri 9, @Murray State
@SIUE 8, UT Martin 6
Eastern Kentucky 7, @Belmont 4
Eastern Kentucky 2, @Belmont 0
Eastern Illinois 7, @Austin Peay 1
@Jacksonville State 5, Tennessee State 1
@Murray State 8, Southeast Missouri 1
UT Martin 7, @SIUE 4
JACKSONVILLE STATE 8, TENNESSEE STATE 0; JACKSONVILLE STATE 5, TENNESSEE STATE 1
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Tiffany Harbin tossed a no-hitter to start the day for the Jacksonville State softball team and set the tone for a dominant day in the circle and a doubleheader sweep of Tennessee State in the Ohio Valley Conference opener for both teams.
Harbin allowed just three baserunners in throwing the fourth no-no of her career to lift the Gamecocks (15-10, 2-0 OVC) to an 8-0 win in the first game of the day and then Hilary Phillips allowed just one unearned run to the Tigers (9-18, 0-2 OVC) in a complete-game 5-1 win in the day's finale.
Harbin, a native of Hazel Green, Ala., didn't allow a ball out of the infield until a pair of fourth-inning fly outs and saw just three balls get past the infield in the game. She tossed her second shutout of the season in her seventh complete game. She struck out four and walked three to improve to 8-4 on the year and led JSU to a win in its conference opener for the third-straight year and the seventh time in its nine years in the OVC.
She got plenty of offense in the win and got it early. The Gamecocks staked her to a 5-0 lead in the first, an inning that saw them double three times. Junior Kalee Tabor got it started with a two-run single, and the senior Kelci Johnston followed with a two-run double that set up an RBI double from freshman Cadi Oliver. Sophomore Sara Borders also doubled and scored in the inning.
Oliver and Borders used those first inning doubles to spark big days at the plate for JSU. Oliver, a native of Sumiton, Ala., went 4-for-6 with a home run on the day, while Borders, a native of Alexandria, Ala., doubled twice in her 4-for-7 afternoon.
The Gamecocks grabbed two more runs in the third on a two-run single from Ruth, an inning that was set up by a leadoff hit by Oliver. Johnston drove in the eighth and final run of the game in the sixth with a sac fly that plated Borders and ended the game via the mercy rule.
Olivia Gamache (3-9) suffered the loss for TSU in the first game after allowing eight runs on 11 hits in 5.2 innings in the circle. She struck out three and walked three.
Oliver went 3-for-3 at the plate in the first game.
In the nightcap, JSU got to TSU ace Shea Morris in the second inning with a three-run frame that was sparked by a leadoff home run from Oliver. The freshman's third home run of the year came on a 1-2 pitch after she fouled off three-straight pitches before bouncing one off of the bottom of the scoreboard beyond the left field wall.
The Tigers then committed a pair of errors in the field that allowed two more runs to score, the last on Borders' second double of the day.
Two more scored in the fourth after sophomore Savannah Sloan drew a bases loaded hit by pitch, setting up a ground ball from Johnston that scored another to give Phillips a 5-0 lead.
Phillips struck out five TSU batters in her first complete game of the season, one that saw her allow one unearned run on five hits in seven innings. She did walk three and hit a batter in improving to 4-2 on the year.
Morris (6-9) was tagged with the loss for TSU and left the game with two outs in the sixth after being checked on by the team trainer. She gave up five runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings, while striking out three and walking three.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 9, MURRAY STATE 3; MURRAY STATE 8, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State softball team went 1-1 to open OVC play on Saturday against Southeastern Missouri at Central Park in Murray. The Racers dropped game one 9-3, but fought back to take the second game, 8-1.
In game one, the Racers (7-12, 1-1) jumped out an early 3-0 lead in the first inning, thanks in part to the bat of Ellyn Troup. Mo Ramsey led off the inning with a single and was brought home two batters later by a single from Casey Castile. Two batters after her, Troup made it 3-0 with her fourth home run of the season.
The Redhawks (8-12, 1-1) added one run each in second and third innings, including a solo home run from Alexis Anderson. Anderson went on to finish the game a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBIs, two runs, two stolen bases and a double.
Southeast Missouri blew the game open in the fifth when they scored three runs on three hits, including two delayed double steals that scored one run each. The Redhawks added three more runs in the top of the seventh on a three-RBI home run from Kaitlin Zink to cap the scoring at 9-3.
Christian Cox led the Racers in game one by going 2-for-3 at the plate. Castile, Ramsey, Troup, Alex Becker and Erica Howard accounted for the other five hits by MSU, with each notching one.
Shelby Kosmecki took the loss for Murray State to fall to 3-8 on the season. She allowed five runs off of 10 hits with three walks and three strikeouts over 4.2 innings. Taylor Cowan improved to 5-6 on the year after allowing just three runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts over a complete game.
In game two, the Racers found their offensive stroke once again and posted two runs in the first. Miller scored the first run of the game on a wild pitch, after reaching base with a single. Troup drove in Castile, who reached on an error, later in the inning with a hard hit sacrifice fly to left field.
Southeast Missouri cut the lead in half in the second when Anderson notched her fifth straight hit and second home run over the two game span. The Racers countered Anderson’s long ball in the third with a two-RBI double from Sarah Anderson to make it 4-1.
The Racers added an insurance run in the fifth when pinch runner Brianne Sanders scored on two errors by the Redhawks. Troup set up the play by leading off the inning with her first hit of the game and second of the afternoon.
In the sixth, Castile pushed the lead out to six with a two-run home run, her third of the season. In the very next at bat, Becker capped the game’s scoring at 8-1 with a long ball of her own to bring her total to four on the season.
Miller, Castile and Becker each notched two hits in the game, while Ramsey, Howard, Troup and Anderson had one each. Castile and Anderson led the team in RBIs in the game with two, while Castile and Becker led MSU in runs with two as well.
CheyAnne Gaskey evened her record at 4-4 with the win by allowing just one run off of four hits with only one walk and eight strikeouts. Lauren Reinagel (1-1) took the loss for the Redhawks after allowing four runs on five hits over two innings.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 6, AUSTIN PEAY 2; EASTERN ILLINOIS 7, AUSTIN PEAY 1
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Eastern Illinois softball earned an Ohio Valley Conference sweep of west division foe Austin Peay on Saturday (March 16), as the Panthers hit past the Lady Govs, 6-2 and 7-1, to open the league campaign.
The Panthers won their fifth consecutive game to improve to 12-8 overall on the season and have already earned the weekend series over APSU (9-9/0-2), with a single-game series finale set for Sunday.
Eastern used a pair of complete games both in the circle and at the plate to lead APSU in nearly every statistical category.
Prior to the game, the Lady Govs sported one of the top team batting averages in the league, yet the Panther pitching duo of Hanna Mennenga and Stephanie Maday held APSU to a low .125 mark off just six total hits, as compared to 12 for Eastern behind a .235 average.
The two junior pitchers combined for 23 strikeouts as Mennenga's 16 first game strikeout tally set a new career high.
Sophomores Hannah Cole and Bailey O'Dell paced the Eastern hitters, as each registered a .400 bat mark behind a 2-for-5 day at the plate. O'Dell led all players with four RBIs off a pair of home runs, as she earned eight total bases and registered an impressive 1.600 slug %.
Four different Panthers -- Cole, juniors Brooke Owens and Ashleigh Westover, and senior Melise Brown -- all nailed a double over the course of the twinbill, while juniors Morgan Biel and Carly Willert registered stolen bases.
Eastern jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first and second innings of game one, as the Panthers took advantage of a few illegal pitches by the starting APSU pitcher.
EIU would add three additional runs in the third frame, with two coming via a Lady Gov fielding miscue, while another APSu illegal pitch would plate another Panther.
A solo homer by O'Dell in the top of the fifth would finish up the EIU scoring, while the Govs would also use the long ball off a two-run homer to eliminate the Panther shutout in the seventh.
Mennenga pitched a gem of a game as she fanned an all-time high 16 of the 25 batters faced. She also allowed just one walk and one earned run to improve to 7-3 on the season.
In the nightcap, Eastern would once again erupt for a 6-0 advantage through four innings, as Owen's RBI double in the first, O'Dell's third inning three-run bomb and Willert's two-RBI base hit in the fifth accounted for the Panther scoring run.
Once again, the host Lady Govs would avoid the shutout with a ground-out RBI in their half of the fourth, but the Panthers would add a security run off Westover's RBI double down the left field line in the fifth inning.
Maday would pick up the complete game win to improve her season mark to 5-3 in the circle behind seven Ks, three walks, and just one earned run.
With the Saturday sweep, the Panthers have now won seven straight over APSU to improve EIU's series lead over the Lady Govs to 41-12 all-time.
SIUE 8, UT MARTIN 6; UT MARTIN 6; UT MARTIN 7, SIUE 4
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -Both SIUE and UT Martin came away with victories on the opening day of the Ohio Valley Conference softball season.
SIUE, 14-7 overall and 1-1 in the OVC, picked up its seventh straight victory in game one with an 8-6 triumph. UT Martin, 16-8 overall and 1-1 in the OVC, held off the Cougars for a 7-4 win in the nightcap.
The two teams with the best overall records in the OVC gave the fans at Cougar Field two exciting games.
The final game of the series is set for 1 p.m. Sunday at Cougar Field
In game one Saturday, SIUE came back twice against the Skyhawks. UT Martin scored first with a second-inning RBI single from Deven Wilson.
SIUE right fielder Brittany Toney made her birthday a memorable one with a solo home run to center field that tied the score 1-1 in the second inning.
UT Martin scored the bulk of its runs in the fourth with four runs. A two-run single by Leah Taylor gave the Skyhawks a 5-2 lead.
SIUE scored once in the fourth and then tied the game 5-5 in the fifth. Alex McDavid sent a solo home run over the center field fence, and Toney added another RBI on a single.
When UT Martin took the lead in the sixth on a sacrifice fly, SIUE fought back once more.
McDavid singled in Yankolovich and later scored with Taylor Tooley on an RBI double to right center by Kayla Riggs.
SIUE lefty Haley Chambers improved her pitching record to 7-2. She struck out seven for the complete-game victory. Morgan Lewis, 0-3, took the loss in relief of Casey Vincent.
In game two, Kenzi Tate held off SIUE's offense until the Cougars scored four times in the sixth. Tate improved her record to 9-1 thanks to a big third inning.
UT Martin's Becca Williams highlighted a five-run third inning with a three-run homer to left field.
Amanda Lambrecht took the loss and is now 3-2. Erin Greenwalt allowed just one run and struck out four in 3 2/3 innings of relief.
SIUE outhit the Skyhawks for the day 21-17.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 7, BELMONT 4; EASTERN KENTUCKY 2, BELMONT 0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -Sophomore pitcher Leanna Pittsenbarger tossed her first collegiate no-hitter to lead the Eastern Kentucky University softball team to a 2-0 win over Belmont in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday. The Colonels won the opener as well by a count of 7-4.
Pittsenbarger (8-5) is the first EKU pitcher to throw a seven-inning no-hitter since March 22, 2006 when Kelsey Anderson shut down the Morehead State Eagles. The native of Urbana, Ohio faced the minimum amount of batters (21) while striking out four Bruins and allowing just one walk.
Eastern scored the only runs it would need in the top of the first inning. Three straight hits, capped by freshman Sarah Fobbs’ RBI single up the middle, gave Pittsenbarger a 2-0 lead.
Belmont’s Kimberly Johnson started the bottom of the second with a walk, but was later called out for leaving base early. Johnson was the only Belmont player to reach base against Pittsenbarger.
In the bottom of the seventh, Pittsenbarger induced a pop out and two foul outs to finish off the no-hitter.
Eastern Kentucky won the opener in extra innings thanks to a five-run outburst in the top of the eighth.
Heading into the eighth tied at 2-all, sophomore Katie Tackett hit a two-run homer to put the Colonels in front, 4-2. Fobbs followed with a home run of her own to extend the lead to 5-2. Redshirt sophomore Shannon McQueen put an exclamation point on the inning with a two-run single.
Tackett went 3-for-4 with three RBIs in game one while McQueen and senior Carissa Reisinger each added a pair of hits. Sophomore pitcher Shaylon Robb (4-4) tallied the win by going 7.1 innings and allowing just one earned run.
This was the first day of Ohio Valley Conference action for both teams. Eastern improves to 13-9 overall and 2-0 in conference play while Belmont falls to 7-11 and 0-2.