SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Kentucky 3, Morehead State 1
@Eastern Kentucky 4, Morehead State 3
UT Martin 11, @Southeast Missouri 9
UT Martin 14, @Southeast Missouri 5
EASTERN KENTUCKY 3, MOREHEAD STATE 1; EASTERN KENTUCKY 4, MOREHEAD STATE 3
RICHMOND, Ky. - Senior Day was a memorable one for the Eastern Kentucky University softball team as the Colonels took a pair of games from OVC rival Morehead State. The Colonels won by scores of 3-1 and 4-3.
Sophomore pitcher Leanna Pittsenbarger (20-8) tossed a complete game in the opener to become the first EKU (34-18, 19-6 OVC) pitcher to reach the 20-win plateau since 2003. The righty put an exclamation point on her outing by striking out the side in the top of the seventh.
Junior Christina Ciolek gave Eastern an early 2-0 lead in the first inning of game one with a bases loaded, two-out bloop single into left field. That would prove to be enough run support for Pittsenbarger.
Senior Raquel Howes chipped in with an RBI single through the middle to give Eastern a 3-0 lead after three innings. Howes went 3-for-3 in game one with a double, RBI and run scored.
Morehead State (24-23, 10-14) put up a run in the fourth, but would only be able to scratch out one hit in the final three innings.
Game two came down to the final at-bat. The Colonels trailed 3-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh, but rallied with three runs to complete the doubleheader sweep.
Ciolek came through with an RBI single up the middle to level the game at 3-all. Then, with two outs, senior Carissa Reisinger poked the winning hit through the left side of the infield to complete the comeback.
The Eagles’ Kelcey McMurray (5-9) took the loss despite taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning.
Morehead State opened the scoring thanks to Stephanie Etter’s RBI single in the sixth. After Eastern tied the game in the bottom of the frame, the Eagles responded with a pinch-hit, two-run home run by McKenna Bartko in the top of the seventh.
EKU pitcher Shaylon Robb (10-9) earned the win thanks to allowing just one hit in 2.1 innings pitched.
UT MARTIN 11, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 9; UT MARTIN 14, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 5
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (15-33, 6-18 OVC) dropped a pair of games to UT Martin (33-18, 14-10 OVC) Saturday afternoon, dropping game one 11-9 after a comeback in the sixth fell short, followed by dropping game two, 14-5.
Lindsey Patterson highlighted the day, hitting three home runs; as well as Alexis Anderson hitting two of her own, one of which was a grand slam.
UT Martin 11, Southeast Missouri 9
UT Martin got on the board in the first when Leah Taylor came around to score from second on a base hit to center. The batter, Kenzi Tate, was thrown out trying to advance to second, getting the Redhawks out of the inning.
The Redhawks were quick to take the run back when Taylor Cowan drove Xia Wilson in from second, tying up the game in the first inning.
The Skyhawks retook the lead in the second on a sacrifice fly by Lauren Smith, scoring Becca Williams; 2-1 Skyhawks.
The Redhawks scored the go-ahead run in their half of the second inning. With runners on second and third, Jamie Woodworth came off the bench and flew out to to the right fielder, scoring Kaitlin Zink and tying the game at two runs each. With a runner still on third, Anderson singled up the middle to plate the runner and take the only Redhawk lead of the game.
With bases loaded in the top of the top of the third, the Skyhawks posted five runs in the frame, taking a big lead on the Redhawks. It started with a single up the middle, scoring two, allowing UT Martin to retake the lead. Taylor then scored on a throwing error by the catcher. With two runners on, Smith then doubled to right field, going up 7-3 on Southeast.
L. Patterson narrowed the lead to 7-4 with a swift swing of the bat with a lead-off home run in the third.
Taylor responded with a home run of her own in the top half of the fourth, a two-run blast to center, 9-4 Skyhawks.
For the first time in the game, the Skyhawks held the Redhawks to a scoreless frame in the fourth followed by a scoreless fifth inning on both ends.
UT Martin extended the lead in the sixth when they scored on a wild pitch followed by an RBI single up the middle by Tate; 11-4 Skyhawks.
Southeast put themselves right back in the game, posting a five run inning, highlighted by two home runs. The first home run was a grand slam off the bat of Anderson followed later by L. Patterson's second of the game; 11-9 Skyhawks.
The Redhawks loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh with two out, but came up short on putting together a comeback.
UT Martin narrowly outhit the Redhawks 11-10 in the contest.
Brittany Smith, Anderson, and L. Patterson had two hits in the contest. Anderson became the second Redhawk this season to record five or more RBI in a game.
Taylor and Tate each recorded three hits against the Redhawks. Tate drove in four RBI in game one.
Hannah Clemons (4-8) recorded the loss. Clemons went 2.2 innings, giving up seven runs, only two of which were earned, on eight hits.
Tate (17-5) earned the win for the Skyhawks through 5.1 innings. Tate gave up eight runs on seven hits to Southeast.
UT Martin 14, Southeast Missouri 5
Southeast crossed home first when Simone Patterson doubled to right field, driving in two runs and taking a 2-0 in the first.
The Skyhawks responded with five runs in the top of the second. Tate scored on a single to right from Wilson to get the Skyhawks on the board. Casey Vincent drove in the go-ahead run on a two-RBI double. Lindsey Feigle followed up with a two-run home run; 5-2 UT Martin.
With bases full of Skyhawks in the fifth, Kelsey Dixon drew a walk to drive in a run. Kayla Wade followed up with a two-RBI double. UTM scored again when Taylor reached on a fielding error that scored Wade, putting the Skyhawks up 9-2.
In the bottom of the inning L. Patterson blasted her third home run of the day over the left field wall to chip away at the UTM lead.
UT Martin tacked on another run in the sixth on an RBI single by Vincent, 10-3 Skyhawks.
UTM rounded off the scoring in the seventh inning with two, two-run home runs from Tate and Wilson; 14-3 UTM.
After leading off the inning with a double, Chelsea Smith was driven in on a two-run shot by Anderson, her second of the day. This would be the closest the Redhawks would come to the Skyhawks, as they dropped game two 14-5.
Anderson and Cowan each went 2-for-4 in game two. Anderson finished the day 4-for-9 with seven RBI. All three of L. Patterson's hits were home runs, as she went 3-for-8.
Tate, Smith, and Vincent all had three hits for UT Martin. Wilson and Vincent each had three RBI in game two.
Cowan (7-22) recorded the loss, pitching 6.0 innings, giving up 12 runs on 12 hits.
Vincent (14-8) got the complete game victory, giving up five runs on eight hits. Vincent struck out four Redhawk batters in the contest.