WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
Kentucky 6,
@Eastern Kentucky 2
Kentucky 4,
@Eastern Kentucky 3
@Murray State 6, Bethel (TN) 1
@Murray State 12, Bethel (TN) 1 (5)
@Butler 6,
Morehead State 3
@Butler 7,
Morehead State 6
@Lipscomb 7,
Belmont 1
@Tennessee 12,
Tennessee Tech 3 (5)
@UT Martin 5, Southern Illinois 4 (11)
@Lipscomb 4,
Belmont 3
KENTUCKY 6, EASTERN KENTUCKY 2; KENTUCKY 4, EASTERN KENTUCKY 3
RICHMOND, Ky. - No. 18 Kentucky tallied two victories over host Eastern Kentucky University in a mid-week softball doubleheader Wednesday by scores of 6-2 and 4-3.
EKU (23-16) was looking for its first win over the Wildcats (30-10) since 2006.
The Colonels clung to a slim 3-2 edge throughout most of game two. Freshman Sarah Fobbs gave EKU a 1-0 lead in the first with an RBI single. Kentucky quickly rallied in the second with an Alice O’Brien solo home run and Krystal Smith two-out RBI hit.
In the bottom of the second, Eastern scored a pair of runs on a wild play. Seniors Carissa Reisinger and Melissa Costa both scored on an errant throw from the shortstop when Reisinger was trying to score from third base. Costa, who was on her way to second on the play, hustled all the way around to touch home plate as well.
EKU pitchers Hayley Flynn and Shaylon Robb almost made the 3-2 lead hold up the rest of the way. Flynn started the game and allowed two runs in the first three innings. Robb worked out of a bases loaded jam in the fourth.
In the seventh, Kentucky was able to get runners on second and third with no outs. Robb proceeded to get a line out and ground out. However, down to the final strike, O’Brien came through with a high chopper up the middle that scored two runs and gave the Wildcats the win.
UK pitcher Kelsey Nunley (19-4) went the distance and retired the Colonels in order in the final inning. O’Brien was 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs in the second game.
Lauren Cumbess led the Wildcats to victory in the opener. She finished 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs at the plate. On the mound, Cumbess (8-3) pitched the last five innings to notch the win.
Maisie Steed and Nikki Sagermann also hit long balls for Kentucky in game one.
Freshman Kayla Joyce and redshirt freshman Haley Schenasi recorded back-to-back run-scoring hits in the fifth to get EKU within one run at 3-2. UK pulled away in the seventh with three runs thanks to home runs by Cumbess and Sagermann.
MURRAY STATE 6, BETHEL 1; MURRAY STATE 12, BETHEL 1
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State softball team extended its current win streak to three by sweeping a doubleheader with Bethel (Tenn.) on Wednesday at Central Park. The Racers took game one by a score of 6-0, then followed it up with a 12-1 five-inning victory in game two.
The Racers (15-21) outscored the Lady Wildcats (9-18), 18-1, in the doubleheader and also outhit them, 18-7. Additionally, all three Murray State pitchers saw action on the day and combined to limit Bethel to just one unearned run and a tepid .175 batting average.
In game one, Shelbey Miller started the game off with a triple and the Racer offense was never turned off from that point on. Murray State went on to score two in the first, one in the fourth and three in the sixth.
Miller and Ellyn Troup led the Racers in the contest by finishing the game a perfect 2-for-2. Mo Ramsey also tallied two hits in the game, while Alexa Becker, Casey Castile, Sarah Anderson, Audrey Woodby and Christian Cox each added one.
In the circle, CheyAnne Gaskey and J.J. Francis combined for the shutout, with Gaskey pitching the first six innings to earn the win. Gaskey finished the game with no runs on four hits, nine strikeouts and just two walks to advance to 9-6 on the year. Francis allowed no runs on one hit with one walk in the seventh and final inning.
In game two, the Racer offense exploded and it was highlighted by back-to-back home runs from Becker and Castile in the second. The long balls were the team-high 10th of the season for Becker and the sixth for Castile.
In total, six different MSU players recorded hits in game two, while 10 reached base. Miller once again led the offense by going 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Joining Miller in the hit column for the finale were Becker, Castile, Brianne Sanders, Leslie Bridges and Morgan Harrell.
Francis (1-1) pitched the first two and final two innings of the game and allowed just one hit and a walk to earn the first collegiate win of her career. Shelby Kosmecki threw the third inning for the Racers and allowed just one unearned run off of one hit over one complete.
BUTLER 6, MOREHEAD STATE 3; BUTLER 7, MOREHEAD STATE 7
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The Morehead State softball team was swept, 6-3 and 7-6, at Butler on Wednesday afternoon at the BU Softball Field. The Bulldogs improved to 14-18 overall, while the Eagles slipped to 16-16 on the season.
Morehead State senior Katie Pfost suffered the game-one loss in the circle to fall to 9-8 on the season. Pfost surrendered seven hits and five earned runs in six innings. She also fanned eight in the contest.
Seniors Kayla Ashbrook and Elizabeth Wagner, and junior Stephanie Etter led MSU with a pair of hits in the opener. Wagner and Etter also accounted for the Eagles’ RBI.
The Bulldogs scored twice in the bottom of the first on a double and bunt single. Inning two went to the Eagles, though, as they evened the score with a single up the middle from Etter and throwing error that scored Wagner.
MSU scored the go-ahead run in the third when Wagner brought in Ashbrook on a single up the middle, but the lead didn’t last long as Butler scored two on an RBI double in the bottom of the fourth and had a two-RBI single in the fifth.
The Eagles jumped out to an early lead off a three-run homer from Ashbrook in the first inning of the nightcap. The shot was her fifth of the season.
Butler wiped the slate clean and added two additional runs in the bottom half of the inning off a pair of doubles, single and throwing error that scored three. The Bulldogs further extended the lead with a single run in the third.
The Eagles clawed their way back in the top of the fourth with a pair of runs that cut the deficit to one, and senior Anna Sommer stole home in the top of the sixth to even the score.
It was a pinch hit walk-off single that did the Eagles in and gave Butler the victory.
Pfost (9-9) suffered the loss in game two and struck out four in 2.2 innings, while junior Kelcey McMurray put in four innings of relief for junior starter Greta Smeins. Smeins allowed four earned runs in the contest.
Ashbrook had a pair of hits and three RBI and Woodall added a pair of hits.
UT MARTIN 5, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 4
MARTIN, Tenn. - – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team hit two home runs and tallied seven base hits, but it was a single in the bottom of the 11th inning that proved to be the difference in the game. In a game which saw more innings than the scoreboard had numbers, the Skyhawks capped off the three-hour showdown with a walk-off winner driven off the bat of freshman Deven Wilson to sink the visiting Southern Illinois Salukis.
In a matchup which saw six lead changes and 11 frames, the Skyhawks (28-11) got the game started with an early surprise. Playing through injury, junior Kayla Wade turned on the 1-2 pitch in the top of the first to claim her first career home run over the right field fence.
The Salukis soon retaliated in the top of the second as Ashley Kimball scored on an RBI double by Michelle Bradley. Bradley later came around to score on a single by Morgan Barchan.
With the wind blowing at 20 mph gust to right field, sophomore Kenzi Tate lined a laser through the wind stream and over the left field deck to notch her ninth home run and to move higher up the leader boards with RBIs 40 and 41.
SIU responded by tying the game in the fourth and scoring the go-ahead run in the top of the sixth. The Salukis scored their tying run on a passed ball which evaded the catcher in the fourth and via sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth.
Trailing by one in the bottom of the seventh the Skyhawks were faced with defeat. UTM turned to their speedy senior All-American in Taylor, reaching base after taking a ball off the body. Taylor quickly got into scoring position, swiping not only second but motoring to third as the Salukis misplayed the steal attempt. Faced with the one run deficit and two outs, Taylor quickly scampered home on a wild pitch to tie the game and ultimately force extra innings.
As the innings past and the international rule went into effect, the tension continued to mount as opportunities came and went. No moment became more crucial in the game than when freshman Autumn Glenn entered the game in the top of the 10th. With SIU already in scoring position due to the international rule and a walk in the inning, Glenn entered the game with runners on first and second with one out and a 2-1 count on the batter. Glenn pitching above her age, quickly retired the opposition and ended the Saluki threat with a strikeout and infield popup.
Building off the momentum of back-to-back strong defensive innings, the Skyhawks finally sent the fans home happy in the bottom of the 11th. Senior Becca Williams began the inning on second with no outs but the Skyhawks were not able to move the runner over on consecutive plate appearances. Having caught the entire game and notching a single on a near identical play in the ninth, Wilson nailed the game-winning single into the right-center field gap as Williams rounded third to score the winning run.
The circle once again produced a great performance, striking out nine and leaving 14 baserunners stranded. Casey Vincent got the start for the Skyhawks, pitching 5.0 innings while striking out four and allowing just three runs. Morgan Lewis added 4.1 innings while striking out four and allowing just one run. Glenn (2-1, 1.52 ERA) notched her second victory of the season, pitching 1.2 perfect innings while striking out one.
TENNESSEE 12, TENNESSEE TECH 3
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Tech softball team tried to put up a fight against the highly ranked University of Tennessee, but fell to the Lady Vols, 12-3, in five innings. The Lady Vols, currently ranked third or fifth in the country depending on the poll, held the Golden Eagles to seven hits in the contest.
Sphomore Hannah Eldridge had a standout performance knocking a dinger in the fourth and driving home Tech's second run in the fifth.
Tech's big hits came from Eldridge and senior Melody Christian. Though few, the contacts were meaningful ones as the sophomore, Eldridge, blasted a shot over the left field line at one of the most storied stadiums in the country, Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. Eldridge's second contact drove in Tech's run after Christian connected for a single up the middle. Christian scored on a passed ball, collecting her 15th stolen base of the season.
The Lady Vols scored three runs in the second inning against senior Claudia Harke (4-5). Tennessee's Cheyanne Tarango homered as the first batter in the second inning after battling back from a full count. Immediately following the four-base hit, the Lady Vols collected a triple, and two singles to take a 3-0 lead. The Orange would score again in the third but the Golden Eagles finally lit up the scoreboard in the fourth.
Eldridge blasted her home run, but the Lady Vols countered with two runs in the fourth. Tech responded in the fifth with two runs to cut Tennessee's lead in half, thanks to the swift bats of Angi Sakamoto, Eldridge, and Christian. Sakamoto singled to first base, followed by Christian's single. Eldridge sent a line drive up the middle for her second RBI of the day, sending Sakamoto home. Christian would also score on a passed ball.
With the threat of the Golden Eagles on the brink, the Lady Vols scored six runs in the bottom of the fifth to end the game 12-3.
LIPSCOMB 7, BELMONT 1; LIPSCOMB 4, BELMONT 3
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Despite an incredible comeback effort late in both games, the Belmont softball team (12-23) was tripped up in the annual Battle of the Boulevard series with Lipscomb (22-18) on Wednesday evening. The Bruins fell 7-1 in the opening game and were edged 4-3 in the nightcap.
The Bisons wasted little time getting on the board in the both the bottom of the first and third innings, posting two runs in each. LU then leaned on the pitching of Heather Parker to keep the Bruins off the board for the next two innings, despite them logging hits in each inning.
Finally, Belmont was able to notch its first run of the contest in the top of the sixth. After sophomore Heather Turner (Rosenburg, Texas) smacked a double to right and advanced to third on a Lipscomb throwing error. Sophomore Kat Hollingsworth singled to second base to put runners on the corners before senior Becca Gift (Durham, N.C.) used a sacrifice fly to score BU's lone run of the matchup. The Bisons got hot once again offensively and used three hits and a Bruin error to score three more runs to take a 7-1 lead in the bottom of the same inning, going on to win by the same score.
Game two saw Lipscomb jump out to another early lead, pulling away 4-0 by the bottom of the third inning.
The Bruins were finally able to turn up the offensive heat in the top of the fourth inning, rattling off four consecutive hits, forcing the Bisons to make a pitching change, before a single out was recorded. Turner smashed the first pitch of the fourth inning over the left field fence for a solo homerun to give Belmont its first run of the nightcap and Hollingsworth followed with a homerun over the opposite fence. Next, Gift singled and freshman Jessica Wilson (Alvin, Texas) followed with a double down the right field line to load the bases. Even with a pitching change, Lipscomb struggled to tame the hot bats of the Bruins as junior Kim Johnson (Tucson, Ariz.) singled to score another BU runner, trimming the Bisons' lead down to one run, 4-3.
Unfortunately, despite going on to record three more hits, stranding four runners, Belmont was unable to get the game-tying run over the plate and was held off 4-3 in the nightcap.
Hollingsworth led the Bruins at the plate, batting .571 after going 4-for-7 with four hits, a homerun and one RBI. Turner batted .429 and went 3-for-7 with three hits, a double, a homerun and an RBI.
Inside the circle, freshman Carolyn Snodgress (Torrance, Calif.) went the distance in the nightcap, fanning seven batters. Junior Mia Vierra (Palmdale, Calif.) tossed 5.2 innings in game one and recorded a pair of strikeouts. Freshman Taylor Moon (Vestavia, Ala.) saw relief work in game one.