WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
Northern Kentucky 10,
@Tennessee State 4
@Tennessee State 8, Northern Kentucky 4
@No. 21 Missouri 2,
Southeast Missouri 1
@No. 21 Missouri 10,
Southeast Missouri 1
@No. 12 Kentucky 2,
Eastern Kentucky 1
Jacksonville State 2, @Georgia Tech 1
KENTUCKY 2, EASTERN KENTUCKY 1
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Eastern Kentucky University softball team pushed No. 12 Kentucky all the way to the final inning, but in the end came up short in a 2-0 loss Wednesday evening at John Cropp Stadium.
The Colonels (9-12) threatened to open the scoring in the top of the third inning after freshman Paige Murphy doubled to the gap in left center and junior Sarah Fobbs singled through the infield. However, with no outs and runners on second and third, Eastern came up empty in its next three at-bats.
Senior pitcher Leanna Pittsenbarger battled through the first four innings without allowing a run. The righty stranded six runners in those innings.
In the bottom of the fifth, Christian Stokes led off the frame with a home run to dead center field to give the Wildcats (15-5) a 1-0 lead.
Eastern Kentucky had a chance to even the score in the sixth thanks to another key hit from Fobbs. Sophomore Krislyn Campos reached first with an infield single. One out later, Fobbs blasted a shot off the left center wall to put runners on second and third again. Kentucky pitcher Erin Rethlake was able to escape that jam with back-to-back strikeouts.
Brooklin Hinz added an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning to round out the scoring.
Pittsenbarger (4-5), who nearly no-hit Kentucky one year ago, allowed two runs and five hits in 5.1 innings of work.
Rethlake (1-0) picked up the victory for UK thanks to tossing the final three innings and striking out three Colonels.
Kentucky now leads the all-time series, 20-7. Eastern has not defeated UK since 2006.
EKU begins conference play this weekend with a three-game series at Belmont.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 2, GEORGIA TECH 1
ATLANTA, Ga. - Emily Woodruff homered and Taylor West tossed a gem in the circle to lead the Jacksonville State softball team to a 2-1 win at Georgia Tech on Wednesday at Mewborn Field.
The Gamecocks (13-7) grabbed their second-straight win over the Yellow Jackets (10-13) in Atlanta. They also defeated a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference for the third time this season after earlier wins over Virginia Tech and Virginia.
West (3-2) struck out seven GT players in a complete-game gem that saw her allow just one run on five hits. She bested Yellow Jackets ace Kylie Kleinschmidt (3-7), who allowed two runs on three hits in seven innings. Klenschmidt walked six batters and hit two more in the loss.
Woodruff went 1-for-3 but her hit was a big one, a solo homer in the fourth that gave JSU its second run. Freshman Whitney Gillespie had a pinch-hit double and senior Sara Borders singled, walked twice and was hit once in four plate appearances.
Kelsey Chisolm went 2-for-3 for GT, while Courtney Ziese homered in a 1-for-3 game.
The Gamecocks got a run across in the top of the first without putting the ball in play, thanks to three walks and a hit batter from Kleinschmidt. She walked Jordan Bullock, hit Borders and then walked Ella Denes and Melanie Steer to put JSU on the board early.
Woodruff finally got the Gamecocks in the hits column in the fourth and added another run in the process, lining a two-out homer over the wall in left center. Her third homer of the year stretched JSU's lead to 2-0.
The Yellow Jackets got on the board in the fifth on a Ziese homer to right center. The one-out blast came after West had retired nine in a row and cut the Gamecocks' lead in half to 2-1.
West held the Jackets in check the rest of the way, holding off a couple of threats before striking out Samantha Pierannunzi to end the game with two runners on.
The Gamecocks are scheduled to open Ohio Valley Conference play this weekend at Morehead State in a three-game series with the Eagles. The series is set to start with a 12 p.m. CT doubleheader on Saturday in Morehead, Ky., before wrapping up with a single game at 12 p.m. CT on Sunday.
MISSOURI 2, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1; MISSOURI 10, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (3-8) dropped a doubleheader to No. 19 Missouri (15-3) by scores of 2-1 and 10-1 Wednesday at University Field.
Southeast gave MU all it could handle and needed just one out to put the Tigers away in game one.
The Redhawks carried a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning when Sami Fagan drew a leadoff walk in the third spot of the Tigers lineup.
After Corrin Genovese flew out to left, Fagan moved to second on an illegal pitch. Amanda Sanchez then flied out to center field for the second out. Morgan Walters kept the inning alive with an infield single, giving MU runners at first and third.
On the next play, Walters stole second, and after that, Kelsea Roth drove in the Tigers only two runs on a single to left, propelling MU to its come-from-behind win. Roth ripped Keaira Schilling's 2-2 offering between third base and shortstop for the game-winning hit.
Kayla Fortner reached on a two-out walk and moved to third with the help of a Savannah Carpenter single and MU error. Lindsey Patterson knocked in Fortner on an ensuing single to center, as the Redhawks took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
Freshman starter Madeline Krumrey worked 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing four hits, walking six and striking out one along the way.
Aubrey Denno relieved Krumrey and walked two in two-thirds of an inning before Schilling was charged with the decisive run in the seventh. Schilling suffered the loss.
Paige Lowary went the distance for the Tigers, striking out nine and walking four. Lowary gave up just three hits and faced 26 hitters.
Carpenter, Patterson and Alexis Anderson had one hit each for Southeast.
MU wasted no time pulling away from the Redhawks in the nightcap.
The Tigers scored four runs in the first and added five more in the second en route to their seventh-straight win.
Genovese and Angela Randazzo each delivered RBI-doubles and Natalie Fleming had an infield hit to give MU an early 4-0 lead in the first.
Paige Bange and Roth each homered to help the Tigers tack on five more runs in the bottom of the second. Roth's three-run smash came on a 3-2 count after Fagan singled home a run.
Fortner hit her team-high sixth home run for Southeast's only run in the fourth.
Schilling (2-4) gave up seven hits, eight runs and three walks in just one inning during her team-high ninth appearance this season.
Denno pitched the final three innings, allowing four hits and two runs. She also had two strikeouts.
Tori Finucane picked up the win, striking out four and walking none in four innings. Finucane scattered two hits and allowed a run, as well.
MU outhit Southeast, 11-4, in game two.
The Redhawks open Ohio Valley Conference play with a three-game home series against UT Martin, beginning with a 1 p.m., CT, doubleheader Saturday.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY 10, TENNESSEE STATE 4; TENNESSEE STATE 8, NORTHERN KENTUCKY 4
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Due to rainfall in the Nashville area, the Tennessee State softball team had to wait an extra day to face the University of Northern Kentucky. The teams split a double header on Wednesday afternoon at Tiger Field, with the Norse grabbing a 10-4 win in the opener and the Tigers securing the nightcap, 8-4. TSU improved to 7-11 on the season, while Northern Kentucky moved to 1-11.
In game one, the Tigers scored first as Kate Morris drove a ball through the left side of the infield to score Kailey Richard, for a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning. The Norse tied the game in the top of the fifth a run of its own.
TSU wasted no time regaining the lead as Richard singled to center in the bottom of the inning to plate Danica Gleason. Morris would help the Tigers increase the lead to 4-1 with a two-run double off the centerfield fence.
The three RBI for Morris moved her into fourth on the TSU career list with 65. The senior passed Adrienne Sweat who wore blue from 1998-2001.
The Tiger lead would vanish quickly as UNK exploded for five runs in the sixth and piled on to a 6-4 lead with four more runs in the seventh. Jasmine Matchen (1-2) was tagged with the loss as she tossed six innings.
The Norse continued its hot hitting in game two, as they scored three runs to open the game. The Tigers were up to the task, as they answered with three runs in their half of the inning. Joselynn Yates powered a 2-1 pitch over the wall in left center for her first home run as a Tiger. The three-run blast brought home Lauren Dreitlein and Morris, who began a two-out rally with back-to-back singles just in front of Yates drive.
With the Tigers trailing 4-3 in the fourth, Lindsey Burgess hit a laser over the fence in left center to even the score. The dinger is the juniors fifth of the season, matching her total from a year ago. The round tripper moves her into a tie for third on the career list with Brittany Webb (2008-11) and Leena Worrell (2005-06).
TSU would take the lead in the fifth with an RBI single by Richard and a sacrifice fly from Dreitlein. The Tigers picked up a couple of insurance runs in the sixth on RBI singles by Courtney Gearlds and Richard.
The final lead by Tennessee State would be held by Taylor Green who pitched the final 3.1 innings to earn the win. Green (5-3) held the Norse scoreless on two hits and a walk, while striking out two.
TSU mounted a 12 hit attack in the evening session as Gearlds, Richard, Dreitlein, Morris and Danica Gleason all notched two hits. Morris knocked a double in game two, giving her two on the day and a team leading eight on the season.
The Tigers will open Ohio Valley Conference play on Saturday, Mar. 14 as they host Tennessee Tech. The two teams will play a twin bill on Saturday and a single game on Sunday.