SATURDAY'S SCORES
North Carolina 7,
Eastern Kentucky 0
Murray State 2, Sacred Heart 1
Tennessee Tech 2, UNC Wilmington 1
Tennessee Tech 6, NC A&T 3
Eastern Kentucky 9, Bradley 8
Northwestern State 10,
Belmont 3
Belmont 7, Jackson State 3
Jacksonville State 6, Campbell 2
Northwestern State 10,
Morehead State 5
Elon 1,
Jacksonville State 0
IUPUI 3,
Eastern Illinois 1
Eastern Illinois 5, Butler 2
Boston College 9,
Murray State 6
Morehead State 11, Jackson State 5
NORTH CAROLINA 7, EASTERN KENTUCKY 0; BRADLEY 9, EASTERN KENTUCKY 9
STATESBORO, Ga. – The Eastern Kentucky University softball team erupted for nine runs in a 9-8 victory over Bradley Saturday afternoon in the Eagle Classic II hosted by Georgia Southern. The Colonels (5-5) lost the day’s first game to North Carolina, 7-0.
In the win over Bradley (2-9), freshmen Sarah Jackson and Johnkyria Alston each notched their first collegiate home runs. Jackson belted a grand slam in the third inning to put EKU ahead, 4-1. Alston hit a solo shot to lead off the fifth inning to give the Colonels the lead for good, 8-7. Senior Shannon McQueen added an RBI single in the sixth to stretch the cushion to 9-7.
The Braves responded with a run in the bottom of the sixth, but senior pitcher Shaylon Robb shut down Bradley in order in the seventh to preserve the victory. Robb (2-1) earned her second victory in as many days thanks to tossing 3.1 innings of relief. The righty limited the Braves to four hits and a run while striking out five batters.
All nine starters recorded at least one hit for Eastern. Alston, junior Kayla Joyce and senior Darcy Schueler each tallied two hits. Freshman Paige Murphy reached base three times and scored twice.
The first game of the day saw North Carolina (7-4) put up four runs in the third inning to pull away from EKU. The Tar Heels mustered 16 hits against the Colonels and tallied at least two hits in every inning but the second. On the other hand, Eastern Kentucky was limited to a pair of first inning singles from Murphy and junior Sarah Fobbs.
Eastern Kentucky is 2-2 after two days at the Eagle Classic II. The Colonels conclude play in the tournament tomorrow, Feb. 22 against NC State. The Wolfpack came away with an 8-1 win over EKU on Friday. Game time is set for 11 a.m.
NORTHWESTERN STATE 10, BELMONT3; BELMONT 7, JACKSON STATE 3
JACKSON, Miss. -- Belmont recovered from a 10-3 setback to Northwestern State Saturday morning as the Bruins used a great pitching performance from Taylor Moon (Vestavia, Ala.) to earn their first road victory of the season and a split on the day with a 7-3 victory over Jackson State on the second day of the JSU Softball Tournament.
GAME 1: Northwestern State 10, Belmont 3
NSU (7-9) used a sacrafice fly and a two-run home in order to jump out to a quick 3-0 avdantage through the first one and a half innings of play before the Bruins dented the scoreboard for the first time in the bottom of the second inning off an RBI single to centerfield by freshman Taylor Hodge (Maryville, Tenn.).
The Lady Demons stretched their lead in the following two innings of play as NSU used an RBI double to left field in the third inning followed by a four-run blast in the fourth to push their lead to a commanding 8-1 advantage.
BU's Kat Hollingsworth (Carrolton, Tex.) recorded her first triple of the season in the bottom of the fifth inning to notch a pair of Bruin runs but NSU added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh inning as the Bruins fell, 10-3.
BU's Kayla Wells (Bonney Lake, Wash.) recorded a pair of hits on three at-bats for the Bruins while Hollingsworth added a pair of RBIs.
Game 2: Belmont 7, Jackson State 3
With Belmont trailing host Jackson State 1-0 after three complete innings of play, the Bruins' offense responded in a big way as BU tallied six runs in the fourth inning off five hits.
With the bases loaded, Hodge walked in a run followed by an RBI single from sophomore Kate Black (Knoxville, Tenn.). The hit and RBI was Black's first as a Bruin.
With the bases loaded for a second time, BU's Ally Bessette (Bryan, Tex.) walked in another run. That was followed by three straight Bruin hits as rookie shortstop Jess Andree (Darien, Ill.) tallied her first career RBI with a double to midfield followed by a single from Kat Hollingsworth and an RBI single to left center field from Jessica Wilson (Alvin, Tex.).
JSU added a pair of runs in the home half of the fourth inning but the Bruins added an insurance run in the fifth off an RBI fly from Bessette in order to hold on for the 7-3 victory.
BU's starting pitcher Taylor Moon (2-2) was credited with her second victory of the season as the right-handed junior threw a complete game and tied a career-best with eight strikeouts.
Andree and Wilson both finished 2-for-4 at the plate while Bessette recorded a pair of RBIs.
Belmont (3-5) returns to the pitch tomorrow as the Bruins look to close out the JSU Softball Tournament on a high note with a 12:30 p.m. CT contest with Jackson State (4-11).
TENNESSEE TECH 2, UNC WILMINGTON 1; TENNESSEE TECH 6, NC A&T 3
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The bats came alive late for the Tennessee Tech softball team, and behind a dramatic six-run seventh inning in the day's second game against North Carolina A&T (3-4), the Golden Eagles (5-6) smacked an exclamation point on their doubleheader sweep as part of the Charleston Southern Tournament.
A stellar performance from sophomore pitcher Danielle Liberatore (2-4) in the opener pushed Tech to a 2-1 victory over UNC Wilmington (3-2), before the Golden Eagles rallied late to upend the Aggies, 6-3, to run the club's win streak to three consecutive.
Down 3-0 entering the top of the seventh, Tech showed life after getting the first two on thanks to an Olivia Bennett walk and an Alyssa Richards single to right. After Aggie sophomore Maiven McKnight (2-3) retired junior Cortney Fry on a fly ball to right, sophomore Kelly Kennedy put the Golden Eagles on the board with a single to center that plated Bennett and moved pinch-runner Gabby Perez to second.
The Kennedy run-scoring knock was Tech's second of the inning, matching the work that TTU did with the bats over the first six frames of the contest, with Tech only generating an Angi Sakamoto fourth-inning single and a Callen Griffin fifth-inning hit.
Trailing 3-1, Tech moved within one out of a loss after junior Sabrie Neeb reached on a fielder's choice that scooted Perez to third and retired pinch-runner Rachel Karlan at second, but the Golden Eagles showed that the tilt was far from over.
Senior Christian Gibbs began the madness by reaching on an error that brought Perez around with Tech's second run, while Neeb moved to third, and Gibbs was able to advance all the way to second. With TTU now within a run at 3-2, fellow senior Hannah Eldridge stepped to the dish and delivered with the game's biggest hit, a two-out single to center that scored both Neeb and Gibbs to give Tech its first lead of the contest.
The Golden Eagles would go on to plate a pair of insurance runs thanks to an Angi Sakamoto run-scoring single that brought home Eldridge to make the score 5-3, before a second Aggie error in the inning on a ball hit by junior Madison Taylor allowed Sakamoto to cross home with TTU's sixth run of the frame.
Junior Hannah Weaver (3-2) made the lead stand in the bottom of the inning, retiring the final three Aggies after senior Zebresha Blakeney singled to begin the frame. In fact, Weaver settled in rather nicely to earn the complete-game victory after a shaky beginning that saw the 5-foot-5 righty allow three runs in the first behind a Tech error, a Syerra Askew RBI single, and a Kaelyn Moore run-scoring knock.
Maiven McKnight suffered the loss after blanking Tech over the first six innings, before the rough seventh inning sent the Fredericksburg, Va. native to her third loss of the year.
Danielle Liberatore was the story in Saturday's opener, leading the Golden Eagles to a 2-1 win over UNC Wilmington. For the sixth time this season, the 5-foot-10 southpaw went the distance, giving up only one unearned run, while scattering four hits and striking out eight Seahawks for her second win of the season.
Despite mustering just four hits in the game, TTU was able to squeak out two runs, which proved to be more than enough with the way Liberatore was pitching.
The Golden Eagles opened the scoring with a run in the third after Alyssa Richards scored on one of three Seahawk errors in the game. Richards singled with one down, before advancing to second on a fielder's choice, and then making it to third on a Sabrie Neeb walk that loaded the bases. Richards would come around one batter later, scoring on an error on a ball hit by freshman Bayli Cruse that gave Tech a 1-0 advantage.
UNC Wilmington would score in the bottom of the inning, tying up the affair on an RBI sacrifice bunt by sophomore Merritt Wilkinson that pushed across senior Jessica Rappe with the Seahawks' first run.
The Golden Eagles would take the lead for good in the top of the fifth, using small ball to go on top 2-1. Alyssa Richards served as the catalyst once again, leading off the frame with a walk, before she was lifted for pinch runner Gabby Perez. A sacrifice bunt and an error moved Perez to third, before the 5-foot-4 infielder came around to score two batters later on a Sabrie Neeb sacrifice fly that gave Tech the one-run lead.
Liberatore fell into trouble in both the sixth and seventh, but managed to wiggle out of both jams to push the Golden Eagles to the finish line. The Peotone, Ill. native retired the first two batters in the last of the seventh, before yielding a triple to sophomore Merritt Wilkinson to place the tying run just 60 feet away.
UNC Wilmington continued its seventh-inning rally with walks to freshmen Kelsey Bryan and Sarah Davis to load the bases, but Liberatore bounced back by striking out junior Darian Roberts to end the game.
The Golden Eagles will close out their stay in South Carolina on Sunday, squaring off with the host Charleston Southern in a doubleheader. The first game is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. CST, while the second is slated for a 2 p.m. start time.
IUPUI 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 1; EASTERN ILLINOIS 5, BUTLER 2
CROWN POINT, Ind. - Eastern Illinois softball earned a Saturday (Feb. 21) split versus IUPUI and Butler, as the Panthers fell to the Jaguars, 3-1, before hitting past the Bulldogs, 5-2. The late additions to the EIU schedule came about after weather cancelled the WKU Tourney as the make-up games were held inside the Spartan Dome over in Crown Point, Ind.
With the split, the Panthers move to 4-8 on the early-season as EIU will now have two weeks off to prepare for the final early-season tourney, traveling to Bloomington, Ind. to face the Hoosiers and the Billikins of Saint Louis twice on March 7-8.
NORTHWESTERN STATE 10, MOREHEAD STATE 5; MOREHEAD STATE 11, JACKSON STATE 5
JACKSON, Miss. -- The Morehead State softball team split its final two games at the Jackson State Tournament on Saturday. The Eagles dropped a 10-5 decision to Northwestern State in the opener at the JSU Softball Field, but rebounded to post an 11-5 win over host JSU in the nightcap.
The Ohio Valley Conference Eagles move to 3-7 overall, 2-4 at neutral sites and 1-3 on the road. The Southland Conference Demons, who are now 4-0 in the event, improve to 8-8 overall and 5-2 at neutral sites. The Southwestern Athletic Conference Tigers fall to 4-12 overall and 1-3 at home.
Morehead State, which entered the day with just three home runs this season, launched four in the twinbill. Sophomore shortstop Karly Thompson belted a roundtripper in game one, while junior right fielder Tressa Watson, Thompson and freshman catcher Laine Simmons went deep in game two.
Simmons has two long balls and seven RBI this year, while Thompson has two dingers and six RBI. The Eagles had just six hits in the opener, but pounded out 12 in the nightcap.
Sophomore left fielder Kellye Kincannon led Northwestern State by going 3-for-4 with a fourth-inning homer, two runs and three RBI. Sophomore second baseman Micayla Sorosiak added a fifth-inning solo roundtripper. The Demons collected 10 singles en route to 13 base knocks in game one.
Three Eagles recorded two hits in the evening affair, while four Morehead State players tallied two RBI. Freshman designated player Lindsay Ward, Thompson and Simmons notched two of each, while Thompson scored three times. MSU busted the game open with a five-run third inning.
Sophomore right-hander Skylar Cagle picked up the game-one victory. She allowed just one hit and two walks while striking out three in 4.1 innings of relief. Sophomore right-hander Megan Tymorek (0-3), who yielded seven earned runs and nine hits in five frames, suffered the loss.
Senior right-hander Tanna Seuferer (2-2) notched the game-two win. She allowed just two earned runs, three walks and five hits in 4.1 innings of relief. Junior right-hander Merina Young, who gave up two runs in one inning out of the bullpen, was pinned with the loss.
Morehead State is idle until next weekend's ETSU Holiday Inn Classic in Johnson City, Tenn. The Eagles are scheduled to face Canisius and host East Tennessee State both Saturday and Sunday. MSU is opening the campaign with five non-conference tournaments.
MURRAY STATE 2, SACRED HEART 1; BOSTON COLLEGE 9, MURRAY STATE 6
CONWAY, S.C. - The Murray State softball team completed a wild comeback to top Sacred Heart Saturday, 2-1, but did not have enough for a second rally and fell in the nightcap to Boston College, 9-6 as part of Coastal Carolina’s 2015 Chanticleer Showdown in Conway, South Carolina.
Game 1 – Murray State 2, Sacred Heart 1
The scoring began in the third when Alyssa Pitre singled to start the frame, then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Andrea Sidor and Hannah Ford kept the momentum going for Sacred Heart (0-2) with back-to-back singles, the latter of which scored Pitre for the 1-0 lead.
Murray State (7-3) finally answered in the fifth, when Alexa Becker reached on a four-pitch walk. Becker scored two batters later when Maggie Glass doubled down the left field line to tie the game at one.
Pitcher Mason Robinson completely shut the SHU offense down from the fourth inning on, allowing just one base runner over the final four innings. Of the final four innings, three went three-and-out including a trio of strikeouts by Robinson on the fourth.
Mo Ramsey led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Becker. After Jessica Twaddle singled up the middle in the next at-bat, it looked like Murray State would win the game, only to have Ramsey called out at home.
With Twaddle at second, the Racers then loaded the bases on an intentional walk of Maggie Glass and a single by Jocelynn Rodgers. Taylor Odom got the game-winning RBI in the very next at-bat on another four-pitch walk by the Pioneers to seal the game with a 2-1 win.
Aside from Glass, Twaddle and Rodgers, Shelbey Miller and Ramsey also came up with hits during the game. Odom, Glass and Ramsey also enjoyed extra time on the base paths, thanks to a game-high two walks each.
Robinson finished the game by allowing just one run on four hits over a full seven innings of work to move to 4-0 on the year. The sophomore finished the game with a season-high eight strikeouts compared to just one walk.
Game 2 – Boston College 9, Murray State 6
Six RBIs and two home runs from Alexa Becker was not enough to stage a second rally of the day, as Murray State fell to BC, 9-6, in the nightcap.
The Eagles (10-3) pulled ahead early, scoring four runs on four hits in the first, followed by two runs on four hits in the second for a 6-0 lead. However, with two outs in the top of the third Shelbey Miller got things started for the Racers (7-4) with a walk, followed by a single from Mo Ramsey. Becker then cranked out her second home run of the season in the next at-bat to cut the deficit in half at 6-3.
After BC added two runs in the bottom of the fourth, Becker answered again with double that scored Becker and Ramsey to bring the score to 8-5. Despite a Becker solo home run in the top of the seventh, it was not enough, as MSU fell, 9-6. Becker finished the game at 4-for-4 with six RBIs and was followed by Ramsey who was 2-for-4 with two runs.
Murray State will return to action later in Conway, South Carolina Sunday, taking on Bucknell at 10:15 a.m. CT, followed by Coastal Carolina at 2:45 p.m. CT.