TUESDAY'S SCORES
@Chattanooga 6,
Tennessee Tech 4
Eastern Kentucky 10, @Miami 0
Southeast Missouri 8, @Missouri State 4
@Missouri State 4,
Southeast Missouri 0
@Morehead State 5, Cleveland State 4
Cleveland State 3,
@Morehead State 2
@Ole Miss 6,
UT Martin 4
EASTERN KENTUCKY 10, MIAMI 0
OXFORD, Ohio - Senior Katie Tackett and sophomore Amber Murray combined for seven RBIs as the Eastern Kentucky University softball team rolled to a 10-0 win at Miami (Ohio) Tuesday evening.
Eastern (15-18) downed a Miami (Ohio) (18-12) squad that had won seven of its previous nine games. The Colonels have now scored at least 10 runs in two straight games and for the sixth time this spring.
Tackett finished 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a season-high four RBIs. Murray was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with three RBIs and started the scoring with a first inning run-scoring single. Murray’s three RBIs and three runs scored were both career highs for the catcher.
After the Colonels jumped on top 2-0 in the first inning, Tackett and fellow senior Shannon McQueen came through with RBI hits in the third to help extend the lead to 5-0.
EKU put an exclamation point on the game with four more runs in the sixth. Murray tallied a two-run single before Tackett hit a two-run shot to center field to cap the scoring.
Seniors Leanna Pittsenbarger (7-7) and Shaylon Robb combined for 6.0 inning pitched to get the shutout. Pittsenbarger tossed the first four frames and struck out six Redhawks. Robb notched the final six outs, four of which came on ground balls.
Eastern Kentucky returns to OVC action this weekend with a pair of doubleheaders at Austin Peay (April 3) and Murray State (April 4).
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 8, MISSOURI STATE 4; MISSOURI STATE 4, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (6-18) split a doubleheader with in-state rival Missouri State (17-17) Tuesday at Killian Stadium.
Lindsey Patterson went 5-for-7 with three runs scored, a home run and four RBI to lead Southeast.
Southeast Missouri 8, Missouri State 4
Southeast ended a five-game losing streak with its 8-4 game one victory.
Patterson reached on a fielder's choice to bring home the Redhawks first run in the first inning and Taylor McDannold hit her first home run of the season in the top of the second.
Southeast added two more runs in the third on a Patterson home run, pushing its lead to 4-0.
Claire Wernig's one-out single through the left side plated another run in the sixth before the Redhawks added three more tallies in the seventh inning.
Kayla Fortner knocked in a run on a two-out single up the middle, and both Patterson and Savannah Carpenter delivered RBI-hits to polish off the win.
Madeline Krumrey (4-6) picked up the first complete game victory of her career. Krumrey gave up four runs on 11 hits, while striking out two and walking three in seven innings.
Erin Struemph (6-8) suffered the loss. Struemph worked three innings, giving up five hits and four runs along the way. She struck out four and walked one, as well.
Southeast outhit MSU, 12-11, with Patterson going 3-for-4 with four RBI to lead the way. McDannold and Wernig followed with two hits apiece.
Defensively, the Bears committed four errors.
Missouri State 4, Southeast Missouri 0
Chelsea Jones pitched a four-hit complete game shutout in the nightcap. Jones struck out four and walked one, facing 24 hitters.
The Bears scored once in each of the first, second, fourth and fifth innings.
Jones knocked in the game's first run on a single to right center.
Chelsea Thomas then led off the second inning with solo home run to center.
MSU loaded the bases in the fourth, but came away with only one run when Molly Fields doubled down the left field line.
The Bears plated their final run on Thomas' one-out single to left.
Aubrey Denno (0-5) took the loss for Southeast. Denno gave up two runs on two hits and walked three in 1.2 innings.
Jones improved to 9-6.
Patterson paved the way for Southeast with two hits.
The Redhawks return to Ohio Valley Conference action at Tennessee State (Apr. 3) and Belmont (Apr. 4) this weekend.
MOREHEAD STATE 5, CLEVELAND STATE 4; CLEVELAND STATE 3, MOREHEAD STATE 2
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Morehead State and Cleveland State split a softball doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon at University Field. MSU rallied for two runs in the seventh inning of the opener to post a 5-4 walk-off win, while CSU built an early lead and hung on for a 3-2 victory in game two.
The Eagles, who compete in the Ohio Valley Conference, move to 12-15 overall and 4-4 at home. The Vikings, who play in the Horizon League, are now 16-11 overall and 5-6 on the road.
Morehead State collected a single, Viking error, passed ball and two sacrifice flies to manufacture a pair of scores in its final at-bat of game one. Junior right fielder Tressa Watson picked up the game-tying RBI, while freshman catcher Laine Simmons notched the game-winning RBI.
Freshman right-hander Mackenzie Grossmann, who fired 107 pitches in seven innings, improved to 7-5 with the game-one victory. She allowed four runs, eight hits and two walks while striking out five. It was her eighth complete game in 13 starts this season.
Sophomore center fielder Kayla McGuffey paced Morehead State in the doubleheader by going 5-for-8 with one RBI. Four of her five base knocks stayed in the infield. She has now hit safely in eight straight contests, going 15-for-28 (.536) during the stretch.
Freshman catcher Robyn Leighton took advantage of her game-two start, going 2-for-3 with her first collegiate homer. The roundtripper led off Morehead State's fifth and trimmed the deficit to 3-1. Leighton became the ninth Eagle to go deep this season.
Sophomore right-hander Megan Tymorek managed a quality start in game two, but fell to 0-6 with the loss. She yielded three runs, eight hits and three walks while fanning five. Tymorek threw 115 pitches in her second complete game of the campaign.
Senior shortstop Cynthia Woodard paced Cleveland State in the twinbill by going 5-for-8 with three runs and three RBI. She smashed her seventh double in game one and eighth two-bagger in the second tilt. Woodard also teed off on her 13th long ball in the nightcap.
Senior right-hander Alex Radjen (6-4) ended up with both decisions for CSU. She took the loss out of the bullpen in game one and earned a complete-game win in game two. Radjen allowed just two earned runs and six hits in 7.2 frames. She struck out 10 in the second affair.
Morehead State is scheduled to play four conference games on the road this weekend. The Eagles visit Murray State on Friday for a 2 p.m. ET doubleheader and Austin Peay on Saturday for a 1 p.m. twinbill. MSU opens a nine-game homestand next Tuesday against Dayton.
CHATTANOOGA 6, TENNESSEE TECH 4
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Despite a strong start that featured a leadoff home run, the Tennessee Tech softball team was upended 6-4 at UT Chattanooga (24-8) in Tuesday's non-conference battle.
Senior Angi Sakamoto got the Golden Eagles (19-16, 6-4) started off on the right foot, drilling a home run to lead off the contest, the Waipahu, Hawaii native's sixth round tripper of the season to take stranglehold of second place on the club.
The knock was one of two in the game for Sakamoto, wrapping up a perfect day at the dish that also featured a walk and a hit-by-pitch.
Sophomore Danielle Liberatore (11-6) ran with the early advantage, retiring nine of the first 11 Mocs that came to the plate, striking out seven in the process to secure the 1-0 edge through three frames of action.
In the bottom of the fourth, the 5-foot-10 southpaw blinked, leading to a big inning for UTC. Liberatore began the frame in promising fashion after whiffing senior Sarah Beth Roberts to start things off, but proceeded to walk senior Nicole Osterman and sophomore Jesslyn Stockard to put runners on first and second with one down.
The stage was set for junior Criket Blanco, who belted a three-run home run over the center field wall to give the Mocs a 3-1 lead.
Chattanooga went on to pad its advantage with two more in the fifth behind a Nicole Osterman two-run round tripper, and one more in the sixth thanks to a Sam Taylor RBI single to extend the Moc margin to 6-1.
It wouldn't be a TTU softball game if the Golden Eagles didn't make things interesting in the seventh, and that's exactly what they did. The club's never say die attitude was presented once again after junior Cortney Fry singled and Angi Sakamoto walked with one out to put runners on first and second.
Junior Madison Taylor kept the line moving with a two-run single that plated both Fry and Sakamoto, while Taylor herself advanced to second on an error in right. One batter later with Tech now down 6-3, the Mt. Juliet, Tenn. native came around to score on a second consecutive Moc defensive miscue on a ball hit by junior Cortney Fry that chopped the deficit to 6-4.
Ultimately the rally was cut short after Moc senior hurler Taylor Deason was able to retire the next two Golden Eagles to preserve the Chattanooga victory.
Freshman Cori Jennings (11-4) tallied the win behind four strong innings that featured four hits, a walk, two strikeouts, and of course the Sakamoto big fly. Despite a solid effort from Liberatore, who notched double-digit punch outs for the fifth time this season with 10 more on Tuesday, the Peotone, Ill. native was saddled with the loss that broke a string of eight-straight decisions in the win column.
Tech will now turn its attention back to OVC play, traveling to Eastern Illinois for a doubleheader on Friday, before heading to SIUE for a twin bill on Saturday. Friday's action kicks off at 12 p.m. CT.
OLE MISS 6, UT MARTIN 4
OXFORD, Miss. -The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team brought the game’s potential go-ahead run to the plate in the top of the seventh inning, but couldn’t overcome a big fifth inning before falling to Ole Miss 6-4 on Tuesday evening.
The Skyhawks (16-16) tallied seven hits on the day, led by the play of senior Samantha McClure who tallied a game-high four hits in four plate appearances for the visitors out of the two hole in the order. McClure was joined offensively by Renate Meckl and Lauren Smith who combined to tally three hits and drive in three runs in the contest.
Three pitchers saw action for the Skyhawks in the contest with sophomore Brooke Kennedy earned the start. Kennedy lasted 4.1 innings of work while allowing three hits and two earned runs while striking out four. Kenzi Tate (2-5) battled but picked up the loss after allowing three earned runs and three walks in 0.2 innings. Freshman Hanna Jones also tallied some action, allowing one run in an inning of work.
Ole Miss (22-13) saw two players tally multi-RBI games behind the play of Miranda Strother and Allison Brown. Kayla Landwehrmier (3-0) picked up the win in relief, entering with the Rebels trailing 3-1 to start the fifth inning and holding the Skyhawks to just one run in the final three innings.
The Rebels would get on to the board in the second inning when Courtney Syrett scored on a single to second from Grayce Maiam after a tough hop bounced into right field, putting the home squad on top 1-0.
The Skyhawks would look to respond in the fourth inning, taking the team’s lone lead of the contest. After reaching on an error, Alicia Hansen would later score on a RBI double to left center from Meckl to put the squad on the board. Following inserting Smith into the lineup as a pinch hitter, the senior would make the most of her appearance by launching an opposite field home run to right center, putting the Skyhawks on top 3-1.
The Rebels would move back in front with a four-run fifth inning thanks to big hits from Strother and Brown. Three straight walks with one out would load the bases for Strothers before she laced a two run single into center to knot the game at 3-3. They would once again convert a bases loaded situation with a double to left, putting the home squad up 5-3 after five innings.
After allowing another run in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Skyhawks would make a final comeback push in the top of the seventh inning. Trailing by three, the Skyhawks would load the bases with two outs before pushing its fourth run across the plate as Kacie Daugherty scored off a wild pitch to trim the margin to two. With runners moving up, the Skyhawks would move the game’s potential tying runs in scoring position before a deep fly ended the game with a two run deficit 6-4.
UT Martin will return to action this weekend in middle Tennessee with a pair of doubleheaders beginning at Belmont on Friday, April 3 at noon before traveling across Nashville to Tennessee State on Saturday, April 4 at 1 p.m.