SATURDAY'S SCORES
SIUE 7, @Eastern Illinois 2
@Eastern Illinos 4, SIUE 3
Tennessee Tech 4, @Morehead State 1
Tennessee Tech 7, @Morehead State 5
@Jacksonville State 2, Eastern Kentucky 1
@Jacksonville State 10, Eastern Kentucky 2
Southeast Missouri 8, @Austin Peay 1
Southeast Missouri 6, @Austin Peay 5
Murray State 8, @UT Martin 1
Murray State 6, @UT Martin 2
@Tennessee State 4, Belmont 3
SIUE 7, EASTERN ILLINOIS 2; EASTERN ILLINOS 4, SIUE 3
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The SIUE softball team clinched the best record during the 2015 Ohio Valley Conference regular season and will be the host for the league tournament next week at Cougar Field.
SIUE, 20-5 in OVC play and 39-13 overall, bested Eastern Illinois 7-2 in the first game of a doubleheader at Williams Field. The Panthers won the nightcap Saturday 4-3.
As the regular season champion, SIUE will be the No. 1 seed for the eight-team, double-elimination tournament that starts Wednesday at Cougar Field. The complete eight-team field and game times will be announced Sunday after the conclusion of the league regular season schedule.
In game one, Haley Chambers went the distance for the Cougars and improved to an OVC-best 22-5 record. The left-handed junior struck out 16 batters.
The Cougars left little doubt Saturday in controlling their own destiny as the top seed by scoring six runs in the first inning against the Panthers. SIUE took advantage of two early errors that led to RBI singles by Keller and Tess Eby.
Keller went toe to toe with EIU starting pitcher Jessica Wireman, pushing the count to 3-2 after fighting off some pitches for foul balls.
Jordan LaFave capped the first inning with a two-run double down the left field line as SIUE sent 10 batters to the plate in the opening inning. LaFave raised her batting average to .321 this season.
Allison Smiley added an RBI single in the fourth inning that put the Cougars up 7-0.
EIU, 19-25 overall and 13-11 in the OVC, scored its only runs in the bottom of the fifth on RBI singles by Katie Watson and April Markowski.
In game two, SIUE nearly came from behind in the top of the seventh. Down 4-2, Alex McDavid led off the seventh with a single and scored on a base hit to left field by Chambers.
EIU's Michelle Rogers held off the Cougars for the pitching victory, allowing five hits and striking out two.
Baylee Douglass took the loss and is now 16-7. She struck out six over her six innings of work.
The two teams play the rubber game of the series Sunday at noon.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 2, EASTERN KENTUCKY 1; JACKSONVILLE STATE 10, EASTERN KENTUCKY 2
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - A pair of walk-off wins by the Jacksonville State softball team on Saturday swept a doubleheader and clinched the series with Eastern Kentucky at University Field.
The Gamecocks (35-15, 17-6 Ohio Valley Conference) scored two runs in the seventh and won the first game 2-1 on a walk-off sac fly from Cadi Oliver. They then run-ruled the Colonels (23-25, 13-9 OVC) 10-2 on a sixth-inning walk-off single from Ella Denes.
JSU hit .386 as a team in the twinbill, while sophomore Taylor West and freshman Whitney Gillespie held the Colonels bats at bay. Gillespie also went 4-for-5 with a double, a homer and two RBI at the plate over the two games. Freshman Emily Woodruff went 4-for-7 with a pair of RBI and Denes went 4-for-8 with a homer and three RBI.
The Gamecocks had opportunities in the first game but couldn't capitalize until their final chance. They loaded the bases with one out in the first and got a leadoff double in the fifth but got nothing on the board against All-OVC pitcher Leanna Pittsenbarger.
EKU got on the board with one swing in the second, when Sarah Jackson went down and got a West pitch and drove it over the wall in left center. West shut down the Colonels the rest of the way until JSU's offense went to work in the seventh.
Denes was hit by Pittsenbarger's 3-2 pitch to put the tying run on with one out, and Savannah Sloan's single to right center moved her to second. Casey Akenberger entered to run for Denes and immediately scored when Borders laced the first pitch of her at bat into right center for a game-tying single.
Sloan moved to third on Borders' hit and scored on the next pitch. Oliver lifted that Pittsenbarger delivery into center and Sloan slid into home just ahead of Paige Murphy's throw to the plate.
The walk-off win was one earned by West (12-4), who limited the Colonels to a run on five hits in her seven innings in the circle. She struck out 11 Colonel batters and walked just one.
Pittsenbarger (10-11) suffered the loss after allowing two runs on seven hits in her 6 2/3 innings of work. She recorded four strikeouts, walked two and hit a batter.
In the second game, the Colonels struck first again, getting an unearned run in the first on an RBI single from Murphy. The lead wouldn't hold for long, as the Gamecocks claimed four unearned runs in the second to pull ahead for good. Two errors set up an RBI single from Woodruff and a two-run homer from Denes that put JSU up 4-1.
Borders made it a 5-1 game on a bases loaded walk in the fourth and Whitney Gillespie's two-run homer in the fifth put the Gamecocks up 7-1. After a Sarah Fobbs solo homer in the sixth cut JSU's lead to 7-2, the Gamecocks ended it in the sixth.
Oliver homered to lead off the sixth, and RBI singles from Woodruff and Denes finished the walk-off, mercy-rule win.
Gillespie (11-5) earned the win after limiting the Colonels to two runs, one earned, on six hits in six innings. She struck out four and didn't issue a walk. Hayley Flinn (5-6), the first of three EKU pitchers to throw in the game, suffered the loss after surrendering four unearned runs on five hits in just two innings. Shaylon Robb gave up three runs on four hits and four walks in two innings, while Alex Sallberg surrendered the other three runs on six hits in 1 2/3 innings of relief.
Denes went 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBI in the game, while Gillespie drove in two in her 3-for-4 game at the plate that also featured a homer. Woodruff wasl also 3-for-4 in the win with two RBI.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 8, AUSTIN PEAY 1; SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 6, AUSTIN PEAY 5
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn .- Southeast Missouri (18-25, 11-12) registered 25 hits in a 8-1, 6-5, doubleheader sweep of Austin Peay (9-36, 5-21) Saturday afternoon at Cheryl Holt Field.
Southeast coasted to its game one victory, but needed a late rally to upend APSU on the backend of the twin bill. As a result, the Redhawks clinched their fourth series win of the season.
The Redhawks will secure a berth in this year's Ohio Valley Conference Tournament if UT Martin loses two games to Murray State.
Southeast Missouri 8, Austin Peay 1
Lindsey Patterson and Claire Wernig went 3-for-4 and Southeast Missouri collected 14 hits in its 8-1 game one victory.
Chandler Groves singled and came around to score with the help of an error to give Austin Peay a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Southeast quickly answered with a pair of runs in the second. Patterson led off with a single and scored on an ensuing double to left center. Wernig later reached on a two-out error and Hayes scored to give the Redhawks a 2-1 edge.
The Redhawks never fell behind again, adding two more runs in the fourth and sixth innings, and one in both the fifth and seventh frames.
Wernig knocked in Patterson and Taylor McDannold on a one-out single in the fourth.
Patterson scored again in the fifth, this time on a two-out base hit by McDannold.
A sacrifice fly by Savannah Carpenter and two-out single by Kayla Fortner widened Southeast's lead to 7-1 in the sixth before Wernig singled home India Davis to polish off the win in the seventh.
Freshman Madeline Krumrey (12-10) set the tone inside the circle, allowing three hits in five innings. Krumrey tossed four scoreless innings, struck out three and walked one, as well.
Keaira Schilling added two shutout innings in relief.
Natalie Ayala (5-15) suffered the loss. Ayala gave up eight runs on 14 hits and recorded four strikeouts in seven innings.
Offensively, Southeast registered double-digit hits for the 12th time this season. The Redhawks had 10 or more hits in four of their last seven contests.
Wernig matched a season-high in hits
TENNESSEE TECH 4, MOREHEAD STATE 1; TENNESSEE TECH 7, MOREHEAD STATE 5
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Morehead State softball team dropped both ends of a doubleheader to Tennessee Tech, but still punched its ticket to the upcoming Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. TTU registered a 4-1 win and 7-5 victory over MSU on Saturday afternoon at University Field.
The Golden Eagles, who snap a four-game skid, improve to 28-25 overall, 15-10 in league action and 14-12 on the road. The Eagles, who had previously won eight of their last 10, fall to 21-22 overall, 10-11 in conference play and 9-4 at home. The series finale is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
SIU Edwardsville has clinched the No. 1 overall seed and will host the 2015 OVC Tournament. The event, which runs Wednesday through Saturday, is double elimination. A tournament bracket will be available late Sunday. The Cougars won the 2014 event and played in an NCAA Regional.
Tennessee Tech broke a 1-1 tie in Saturday's opener by scoring three times in the seventh inning. The frame was highlighted by an RBI double from junior third baseman Cortney Fry and RBI triple from junior shortstop Sabrie Need. The Golden Eagles plated their final run on a wild pitch.
Fry paced the TTU offense by going 3-for-3. Sophomore Danielle Liberatore improved to 15-10 with the win. The left-hander fanned 17 of the 26 batters she faced, allowing just one run, one walk and four hits. Liberatore also picked up the game-two save by tossing two scoreless innings.
Morehead State jumped out to a 5-1 advantage after two innings in the second tilt, but Tennessee Tech responded with three runs in the fourth, one in the fifth, one in the sixth and one in the seventh. Neeb led the Golden Eagles with two home runs and three RBI in three official at-bats.
Senior right-hander Taylor Ketchum picked up win No. 1 in her second decision of the season. She allowed just one run, one walk and two hits over 3.2 innings of the nightcap. Tennessee Tech recorded 17 hits in game two, including 13 over its last four at-bats, and 28 for the twinbill.
MSU junior first baseman Dana Hutchins belted her third homer of the season in game one, while freshman catcher Robyn Leighton and junior left fielder Lizzy Margagliotti launched back-to-back dingers in game two. Leighton's was her second of the year and Margagliotti's was her third.
Senior right-hander Tanna Seuferer started game one and finished game two, while sophomore right-hander Megan Tymorek did the opposite. Seuferer suffered both losses and is now 9-7. She allowed four runs and 11 hits in her start, while Tymorek yielded five scores and 11 base knocks in her start.
TENNESSEE STATE 4, BELMONT 3
NASHVILLE, Tenn - Tennessee State jumped out early to earn its second consecutive win in Ohio Valley Conference play on Saturday evening at Tiger Field. The Tigers scored three in the second and scratched an important insurance run in the sixth to hold on to a 4-3 win over the Bruins.
TSU gave starting pitcher Taylor Green an opportunity to pitch with a lead and she responded by scattering seven hits over the first six innings, holding the Bruins to one run. The junior ran into trouble in the seventh, making way for Jasmine Matchen who came in to face two Bruins before securing her third save of the season.
The Tiger offense took charge in the second inning with a two-out rally. Lindsey Buirgess legged out a single to right field to get things started. After a Tayler Shimizu walk, Cariona Hassell singled to center to chase home Burges for the early 1-0 lead. On the play, Shimizu and Hassell advanced a base as the ball would get away from catcher Chelsey Deloney.
Danica Gleason capped off the rally with a single to right center, allowing Shimizu and Hassell to score. Belmont cut into the Tigers 3-0 lead as Jess Andree notched her second hit of the evening and drove in Jordan Daley, making the score 3-1.
In the sixth, TSU used a little trickery to increase its lead to 4-1. With bases loaded Shimizu broke for third to draw a throw from home, which gave Burgess a chance to swipe home plate.
The run is the 29th on the season for Burgess, leaving her one shy of the single season record.
The Tiger score proved to be important as the Bruins charged back with a pair of runs in the seventh. Deloney singled up the middle to plate Kayla Wells just ahead of a pinch hit single by Jessica Wilson to bring home Kat Hollingsworth.
The BU comeback would end there as Matchen enticed a groundout, allowing Joselynn Yates to step on third to end the game. TSU improved to 11-35, 4-20 in conference play, while Belmont fell to 11-32, 6-16 in the OVC.
MURRAY STATE 8, UT MARTIN 1; MURRAY STATE 6, UT MARTIN 2
MARTIN, Tenn. - The Murray State softball team beat UT Martin twice, 8-1 and 6-2, Saturday at Bettye Giles Field in Martin, Tennessee, to clinch the series with the Skyhawks and lock itself into no worse than the No. 3 seed in next week's OVC Tournament. The wins move the Racers to 35-17 overall and 19-7 in the OVC, breaking the season wins mark and tying the conference wins mark, both set in 2012 in four more games than this year's team/
In game one, UTM jumped out to an early lead in the second on a MSU error that allowed Kelsey Dixon to score, after leading off the inning with a double. Skyhawk pitcher Elizabeth Wiegand was nearly flawless in the first three innings, giving up no hits and just one walk over the first 10 batters.
However, in the fourth the Racers exploded for four runs and then added one more in the fifth and three in the seventh. After the third inning, MSU pitcher CheyAnne Gaskey clamped down on the Skyhawks and allowed no additional runs on just one more hit in the final four innings of the game for the 8-1 Racer win.
Jocelynn Rodgers was 2-for-4 in the game with a run and two RBIs, as Murray State outhit the Skyhawks, 11-3. Meanwhile Cayla Levins also tallied two hits in the opener, while Kaylen Zierke and Jessica Twaddle added two RBIs each. Gaskey picked up her 18th win of the season in the complete game effort by allowing just one run on three hits with one strikeout.
In game two, the Racers jumped out to an early 2-0 on a RBI-triple by Shelbey Miller in the first and a RBI-double from Kaylyn Zierke in the fourth. However, in the bottom of the fourth, Carly Gonzales scored Bella Zizzi, who led off the inning with a single, to cut Murray State's lead in half.
In the sixth, MSU scored four runs on another offensive outburst with a two-run double from Alexa Becker and a two-run home run from Jessica Twaddle. The Skyhawks would add one more run in the sixth, but it was not enough as MSU held on for the 6-2 win.
Twaddle was a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBIs and two walks in the game, while Becker was 1-for-3 with a run and a RBI. Mason Robinson moved to 14-5 on the year with the win, going six innings and allowing just one earned run on seven hits with two strikeouts. J.J. Francis closed out the game for the Racers, allowing no runs on no hits with a strikeout and a walk.