WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
Kansas 6,
SIUE 4
@Austin Peay 3, Eastern Kentucky 1
Eastern Kentucky 10, @Austin Peay 5
Saint Louis 6,
@Southeast Missouri 3
@Southeast Missouri 5, Saint Louis 4
Middle Tennessee 10
, Belmont 0 (5)
KANSAS 6, SIUE 4
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas needed three pitchers Wednesday to close out a 6-4 victory over SIUE softball at Arrocha Ballpark.
SIUE, 35-11, made a late surge against the Jayhawks, 34-8, but left the bases loaded in the top of the seventh.
The Cougars will return home having taken a Kansas team which has an RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) of 24 down to its final at bat. SIUE's RPI to start the week was 48.
Alex McDavid put SIUE on the scoreboard first with a solo home run in the top of the second inning off Kansas starter Bryn Houlton, 5-3. McDavid's fifth home run of the season cleared the center field fence.
Kansas broke back with a single tally in the bottom of the second when Shannon McGinley scored on an infield error after a single by Briana Evans.
The Jayhawks took the lead in the third inning with a four-run rally against SIUE starter Haley Chambers, now 20-5. All four of the runs for Kansas were run unearned behind a pair of outfield errors. Back-to-back doubles by Shannon McGinley and Erin McGinley provided the biggest hits for Kansas.
SIUE freshman pitcher Baylee Douglass replaced Chambers in the third and allowed just one run over the final 3 2/3 innings.
Douglass, a member of the top 25 watch list for the NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) Division I National Freshman of the Year award, faced a fellow member of the watch list. In Kansas freshman Daniella Chavez's two plate appearances against Douglass, she struck out and fouled out.
Down 6-1 in the fifth, Tess Eby gave SIUE hope with a leadoff single. After Samantha Jones was inserted as a pinch runner, the senior stole second and moved to third on an infield out. Chambers, who also was the designated player, laced a single to right center to drive home Jones.
SIUE cut the lead to 6-4 in the bottom of the sixth as it took advantage of three walks from Houlton and a run-scoring wild pitch from reliever Alicia Pille. Rachel Keller and McDavid each scored.
The surge continued in the top of the seventh as Chambers delivered a leadoff double to left center, her third hit of the game. Rebecca Gray put runners at the corners with a single to left. Kansas went to its bullpen once again for Sophia Templin, who hit Allison Smiley with a pitch and then wiggled her way out of the inning without giving up a run. Templin earned her first save of the season.
AUSTIN PEAY 2, EASTERN KENTUCKY 1; EASTERN KENTUCKY 10, AUSTIN PEAY 5
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - A late-inning two-run homer by Christiana Gable backed a three-hit performance by Natalie Ayala, Wednesday at Cheryl Holt Field, as Austin Peay State University’s softball team defeated Eastern Kentucky 3-1 in Game 1 of their Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader before falling in the nightcap, 10-5.
With the scored tied 1-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning in Game 1, Austin Peay (9-31, 5-16 OVC) got a lead-off double from Laurel Burroughs – putting the go-head run into scoring position, with no outs.
That brought up Christiana Gable, who had doubled in the sixth inning, who blasted a 2-2 over the center field wall for a two-run homer to give the Lady Govs a 3-1 lead.
That proved to be more than enough for Ayala (5-12), who capped a three-hit complete-game victory by setting the Colonels (21-23, 11-7 OVC) down in order in the top of the seventh to seal the victory for Austin Peay.
Ayala, along with just giving up three hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out three, while needing only 75 total pitches to pick up her seventh complete game of the season.
Leanna Pittsenbarger (9-10) took the loss for EKU, giving up six hits and one walk, while striking out seven.
Austin Peay broke a 0-0 deadlock in the bottom of the fifth inning, with Marissa Lake reaching on a one-out bunt single, then scoring all the way around from first base on a triple to straight away center field by Rikki Arkansas.
Eastern Kentucky would tie the game in the top of the sixth inning on an RBI double by Sarah Fobbs, driving in Paige Murphy – who had tripled.
In Game 2, things started off well for Austin Peay – jumping out to a 4-2 lead after three innings – but theLady Govs were touched up for eight runs over the final four innings, while they were held to a seventh-inning home run by Morgan Hoeg.
The Lady Govs would score two unearned runs in the first inning, with Sidney Hooper picking up an RBI on a single.
EKU would answer with an RBI single by Shannon McQueen in the top of the second to make it 2-1, but Austin Peay matched the run in its half of the inning on a steal of home by Arkansas.
A RBI double by Murphy in the top of the third inning got EKU back to within one, 3-2, but Hoeg matched the run in the bottom of the inning – scoring on a wild pitch.
But that is where the Colonels would get their offense rolling, hitting three home runs over the next two innings – highlighted by a three-run shot by McQueen – to put EKU ahead 7-4.
Eastern Kentucky would closeout it’s scoring with three more runs in the top of the seventh, with Krislyn Campos, Fobbs and Kayla Joyce picking up RBIs.
Hayley Flynn (4-5) got the win, in relief of EKU starter Shaylon Robb, going the final 5.1 innings and giving up two runs on three hits, while striking out five and walking three.
Sidney Hooper (2-10) took the loss of Austin Peay.
SAINT LOUIS 6, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3; SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 5, SAINT LOUIS 4
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - - Kayla Fortner tied the school's all-time single-season home run record and Riley Hayes hit a three-run homer as Southeast Missouri (12-23) split a doubleheader with Saint Louis (29-16) Wednesday at the Southeast Softball Complex. The Redhawks lost game one, 6-3, before rallying to win the nightcap, 5-4.
Fortner's solo home run in the third inning of game one marked her team-high 14th of the season. She now stands tied with Michelle Summers (2007) at the top of Southeast's all-time single-season home run list.
Meanwhile, Hayes' home run ignited the Redhawks come-from-behind victory in the nightcap.
Saint Louis 6, Southeast Missouri 3
Saint Louis pounded out 13 hits and had three home runs in its 6-3 game one victory.
SLU had five players with multiple-hits, led by Macie Wheeler who went 3-for-4. Alex Nickel, Elizabeth Everingham, Allie Macfarlane and Alyssa Tarquinio followed with two.
Southeast pulled ahead, 2-1, in the bottom of the first when Savannah Carpenter knocked in Lindsey Patterson and Alexis Anderson on a two-out single through the left side.
SLU answered with two runs of its own to regain a 3-2 edge in the top of the second. Tarquinio led things off with a solo home run to left and Nickel stole home with two outs.
Both teams then traded home runs in the third inning, with Everingham clearing the left field wall for the Billikens and Fortner belting her homer to right center for the Redhawks.
SLU added another run to its lead when it stole home for the second time with two outs. Josie Knesel scored on the play, pushing the Billikens lead to 5-3 in the top of the fourth.
Nickel widened SLU's lead to 6-3 with a leadoff home run to left center in the top of the sixth inning. Nickel's long ball broke the Billikens team single-season home run record. SLU has 48 homers through 45 games this year.
Southeast brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the sixth, but came up empty. The Redhawks then went down in order during their last at-bat in the seventh.
Brianna Lore (15-9) picked up the win for SLU. Lore went the distance, allowing three runs on eight hits. She also struck out six and walked one.
Keaira Schilling (3-9) took the loss. Schilling scattered 11 hits and gave up six runs in five innings. She struck out two and walked one, as well. Aubrey Denno, who pitched for the first time since Mar. 31, tossed the final two innings.
Each of the first six players in the Redhawks lineup had a hit. Carpenter finished at 2-for-3, while Anderson, Fortner, Patterson, Darby Pruett and Taylor McDannold chipped in one apiece.
Southeast Missouri 5, Saint Louis 4
Riley Hayes' three-run home run sparked Southeast's 5-4 comeback win in game two.
The Redhawks were no-hit through 3.2 innings before Hayes hit her first home run of the season over the wall in right center. Fortner and Pruett scored on the play to cut SLU's lead to 4-3.
Southeast added two more runs to take its first lead of the game in the bottom of the fifth when Jamie Woodworth drew a one-out bases loaded walk and McDannold scored the go-ahead run on a single by Pruett.
Freshman Madeline Krumrey relieved Denno in the sixth and tossed two scoreless innings to nail down her first career save. Krumrey retired the side in both the sixth and seventh innings, recording two strikeouts along the way.
Denno (1-5) was credited with her first win of the season. Denno gave up eight hits and four runs, while striking out two in five innings.
Laney Kneib (6-1) suffered her first loss. Kneib scattered three hits and allowed two runs in two relief innings.
SLU outhit Southeast, 8-4, with Lore and Knesel each going 2-for-3.
Anderson, McDannold, Pruett and Hayes had one hit apiece for the Redhawks.
MIDDLE TENNESSE 10, BELMONT 0
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Recap coming soon.