SUNDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 7, Jacksonville State 1
@Eastern Kentucky 5, Tennessee State 3
SIUE 8, @Austin Peay 5
@Tennesssee Tech 7, Belmont 4
Eastern Illinois 10, @Southeast Missouri 1
Murray State 3, @UT Martin 2
MOREHEAD STATE 7, JACKSONVILLE STATE 1
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Morehead State softball team secured the series win with a 7-1 victory over Jacksonville State on Sunday afternoon at University Field.
The Eagles took a pair from the Gamecocks to improve to 18-17 overall and 4-9 in Ohio Valley Conference play, while JSU fell to 24-19 and 9-7 in league action.
Senior Katie Pfost (11-10), who earned the game one victory on Saturday, added to her season total in a complete game effort. The lefty surrendered eight hits and one earned run, while striking out four. Junior Tiffany Harbin took the loss to move to 13-9 on the season.
At the plate, junior Stephanie Etter went a perfect 3-for-3, while sophomore Katie Raile added a hit and two RBI.
Senior Elizabeth Wagner brought in the first run of the game for the Eagles with her third home run of the season in the second inning. Fellow seniors Kayla Ashbrook and Amber Riddle each plated a run to add to the Eagle lead with a single and a sacrifice fly, respectively, in the third inning.
Raile added to MSU’s total in the bottom of the fourth with her first double of the season to score a pair. The final Eagle runs were added in the sixth when Tressa Watson hit an RBI single and senior Anna Sommer stole home.
JSU was able to plate a single run in the fifth inning off a sacrifice fly from sophomore Sara Borders that scored senior Jessica Guy.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 5, TENNESSEE STATE 3
RICHMOND, Ky. - Sophomore catcher Katie Tackett blasted a three-run home run in the first inning to help the Eastern Kentucky University softball team down visiting Tennessee State Sunday, 5-3.
The Colonels (26-16, 13-4 OVC) swept the three-game set over the Tigers (11-30, 2-13).
Tennessee State hung around all game and closed the gap to 4-3 in the third thanks to an Audrey Sensing two-run single.
Eastern added an insurance run in the bottom of the third behind junior Christina Ciolek’s RBI groundout.
Sophomore pitcher Leanna Pittsenbarger (16-8) came on in the top of the fourth inning and limited Tennessee State to one hit the final four innings. Pittsenbarger struck out six Tigers, including the side in the top of the seventh to secure the win.
Tackett finished the game 2-for-3 and hit a home run in all three games over the weekend. She now leads the team with 10 homers.
SIUE 8, AUSTIN PEAY 5
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Despite hitting three home runs -- two by Lauren de Castro -- Austin Peay State University’s softball team dropped the final game of its weekend Ohio Valley Conference series, Sunday afternoon at Cheryl Holt Field, to Southern Illinois Edwardsville, 8-5.
Hitting home runs in her first two at bats, de Castro gave the Lady Govs (12-21, 3-12 OVC) a 5-4 lead after three innings of play, driving in four, but it turned out not to be enough against the Cougars.
The game didn’t start off well for the Lady Govs, as SIU Edwardsville (31-8, 14-2 OVC) jumped out to a three-run lead in the top of the first inning, collecting four hit in the inning – including three straight singles to open the game by Chelsea Yankolovich, Taylor Tooley and Alex McDavid.
McDavid’s hit would drive in the first run of the inning, while Brittany Toney drove in a run with a single and Samantha Stanicek on a sacrifice bunt.
Toney finished the day with four of the Cougars 14 total hits.
The Lady Govs responded in the bottom of the inning, with Marissa Lake drawing a walk and Laurel Burroughs following an out later with an infield single.
That brought up de Castro, who blasted a 0-1 pitch from Cougars starter Amanda Lambrecht out over the left field fence to tie the game 3-3.
SIUE would retake the lead, 4-3, in the top of the second, with Jordan LaFave working a leadoff walk, move to second on a sacrifice, and score on a single by Yankolovich.
Austin Peay would take its only lead of the day in the bottom of the third, with Burroughs and de Castro hitting back-to-back homers to open the inning.
The two home runs by de Castro tied the school single-game record, also accomplished by Ashley Taylor and Shine Huwe for the Lady Govs.
But the led would be short lived, as the Cougars scored four times in the top of the fourth inning, highlighted by a three-run homer by McDavid, who finished the game with four RBI.
Haley Chambers (17-2) came in relief and picked up the win going five shutout innings, giving up three hits – doubles to Kayla Davidson and Courtney Brower and a single to Jessica Ryan – while striking out seven.
MURRAY STATE 3, UT MARTIN 2
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team outhit the visiting Murray State Racers but could not overcome a fifth inning home run, falling in the Ohio Valley Conference series finale 3-2.
The Skyhawks (29-13, 10-6 OVC) tallied ten hits on the afternoon, led by Kayla Wade, Kenzi Tate and Becca Williams each adding a pair of hits in the ball game. Lauren Smith paced the team with one home run and two RBIs on the afternoon.
Sophomore Casey Vincent gave a valiant effort in the circle today, notching her 14th complete game and striking out four. She allowed just three runs through seven innings but received the loss.
After the Racers got on the board with a solo home run to left center, the Skyhawks quickly retaliated with a big blast of their own. Lauren Smith cranked her team-leading 10th home run down the right field line to even the score at one each. With the home run, Smith moved into eighth on the all-time school home run list with her 19th dinger of the sophomore’s young career.
The Racers (17-22, 8-8 OVC) took the lead for good in the top of the fifth. After retiring the lead-off hitter for the Racers, Mo Ramsey reached first on an infield single. Alex Becker then stepped to the plate and launched a no-doubter down the left field line for the two-run home run and the ultimate difference in the game.
The Skyhawks would not go quietly though as they looked to chip away in the bottom half of the inning. After Taylor reached base on an error, the Skyhawks tacked on back to back single by Wade and Tate to run the bases load with no outs. Smith laced a ball to the left side as the Racer defender made a tough play to get the force out at third and Taylor scored.
The Skyhawks would later threaten in the bottom of the seventh but not push the tying run across in the inning, falling 3-2.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 10, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (12-25, 4-11 OVC) dropped the series finale against Eastern Illinois (28-11, 15-2 OVC) Sunday afternoon, 10-1.
Eastern Illinois won the three-game series after these teams split Saturday's doubleheader.
EIU put together an early multiple scoring opportunity that began with a lead-off walk that came around to score on an RBI single Brooke Owens. After giving up the run, the Redhawks were able to get out of the bases loaded jam in the first.
The Panthers added to their lead in the fourth and in the fifth, adding two runs in each inning. With bases loaded in the fourth, Carly Willert doubled to left field, driving in two runs. The Panthers scored again in the fifth on two RBI singles from Morgan Biel and Melise Brown, taking a 5-0 lead going to the bottom of the fifth.
EIU starter Hanna Mennenga, threw a four-inning no-hitter that ended with a home run blast off the bat of lead-off hitter Simone Patterson, narrowing the Panther lead to four runs.
The seventh inning allowed EIU to open up a big lead on Southeast. With runners on second and third with no out, pinch hitter Haylee Beck tripled to right center, clearing the bases. Brown scored Beck on a sacrifice fly to left. The Panthers concluded the scoring with back-to-back home runs by Hannah Cole and Owens, widening the lead to 10-1.
Southeast was held to just two hits in the contest, as the Redhawks were outhit 16-2.
Coming off a 4-for-6 performance Saturday, Alexis Anderson went 1-for-3 while S. Patterson also went 1-for-3.
Bailey O'Dell and Cole each had a 3-for-4 day while Reynae Hutchinson, Owens, and Biel all added two hits each. Four Panther batters drove in two runs each in the contest.
Taylor Cowan (6-18) suffered the loss, pitching 5.0 innings, giving up four earned runs on eight hits.
Mennenga (19-4) recorded the win for the Panthers. Mennenga held Southeast to two hits, struck out four batters, and walked only one.
TENNESSEE TECH 7, BELMONT 4
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Brittney Spalding shined brighter than the softball diamond in Sunday's game against the Belmont Bruins. The senior drilled a two-run dinger over the left field fence in the bottom of the third inning to give Tech its final lead of the game breaking a 4-4 stalemate.
The Golden Eagles turned in 12 hits, the team's fifth double-digit performance of the season. Sophomore Hannah Eldridge led the charge with three hits and three RBI while sisters Brittney and Chanelle Spalding connected for two hits apiece. Both of Brittney's hits were extra base hits as she knocked a homerun and a double.
Senior Claudia Harke (5-6) got the win in five innings of work after relieving Taylor Ketchum in the second inning. The Bruins scored all four of their runs in the top of the second inning. Tech helped the Bruins effort committing back-to-back errors loading the bases in the first three batters. Jessica Wilson drove in two runs on a double, before the Golden Eagles got their first out. Another run scored two batters later before the bases were loaded again when a Bruin was hit by a pitch. Heather Turner singled up the middle, to score Belmont's final run of the inning when Harke took the circle.
Down 4-0, the Golden Eagles put on their rally caps. In the bottom of the second, the first two batters for Tech were putout, but just as the inning appeared to end, Brittany Spalding fended off four pitches and sparked a rally on a hard hit double through the right side. Chanelle Spalding singled sending Brittney home and advanced to third on a throwing error. The Bruins' Brittany Albright threw an illegal pitch sending Chanelle across the plate. Cutting the lead in half, Cortney Fry singled, followed by Angi Sakamoto and Christian Gibbs on free bases to load the bases for a second time. Following a Belmont pitching change, Hannah Eldridge singled through the left side, driving in two more runs.
In a 4-4 stalemate, the Golden Eagles fended off a Bruin run when Brittney Spalding sent another spark through the Purple and Gold drilling a two-run homer over the left field fence. Tech scored again in the bottom of the sixth, thanks to another single by Eldridge, sealing the 7-4 victory.