SUNDAY'S SCORES
Murray State 6, @Austin Peay 1
@Eastern Illinois 6, Southeast Missouri 1
Southeast Missouri 4, @Eastern Illinois 1
Eastern Kentucky 10, @Tennessee Tech 3
@Jacksonville State 2, Belmont 1
SIUE 3, @UT Martin 1
MURRAY STATE 6, AUSTIN PEAY 1
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Back-to-back homeruns from Taylor Odom and Jocelynn Rodgers helped break up a 1-1 tie and send the Murray State softball team past Austin Peay, 6-1, Sunday at Cheryl Holt Field in Clarksville, Tennessee. With the win, the Racers claimed the last spot in next week’s OVC Tournament, marking their seventh straight season to qualify for the event.
The game remained scoreless until the third when Maddy Feeney began the frame with a double. After she advanced to third on a fly out from Shelbey Miller, the freshman then scored on an Austin Peay (9-38, 5-22 OVC) error that also allowed Brenna Finck to reach base. The 1-0 lead did last long as Danielle Liermann tied game on a solo homerun in the bottom of the fourth.
The game remained tied until the sixth when Odom and Rodgers went yard in consecutive at bats to take a 3-1 lead. Murray State (23-29 -12-14 OVC) added three runs in the seventh on RBI singles from Shelbey Miller, Jessica Twaddle and Leah Kesel to cap the scoring at 6-1 and help the seal the win and tournament berth for Racers.
Kesel was 2-for-4 in the game, as was Jocelynn Rodgers, while Feeney was 2-for-3 and scored twice. Mason Robinson improved to 18-14 on the year with the win in which she allowed just one run on four hits with four strikeouts and two walk.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 2, BELMONT 1
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Jacksonville State added another milestone to its historical season on Sunday.
The Gamecocks held off Belmont for a 2-1 win that swept the series and the 2016 Ohio Valley Conference season, capping a 26-0 conference record and just the second unbeaten OVC season in league history. Tennessee Tech went 17-0 in 1994, nine games fewer than JSU's unprecedented run.
The OVC's regular-season champions, the Gamecocks (37-14, 26-0 OVC) wrapped up an historic weekend that started by giving head coach Jana McGinnis her 800th win with a doubleheader sweep of the Bruins (19-35, 11-16 OVC) on Saturday. They called on one of their two seniors on Senior Day Sunday, and she responded.
Pitcher Casey Akenberger got the call to start in the circle just minutes after she and fellow senior Ella Denes were honored in a pregame ceremony. Denes, the Gamecocks' leadoff batter, scored the game's first run while Akanberger held off Belmont's bats.
She allowed an unearned run in her complete-game two-hitter, pushing her record to 8-2 on the year. More importantly, it kept the hottest team the OVC has seen in its history in the win column and polished off another part of this historic season.
JSU has now won 17 straight games overall and a league-record 30 in OVC play. In their last 29 games of the 2016 regular season, the Gamecocks won 28 times. They move on to the OVC Tournament at Choccolocco Park in nearby Oxford, where they will face eighth-seeded Murray State on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
It was back-to-back first-inning sacrifice flies by Anna Chisolm and Jamie McGuire to plate Denes and Jordan Bullock, respectively, which put Jacksonville State in the run column first against Belmont on Sunday. The two runs stood throughout the seven inning contest as Akenberger held Belmont at bay. She also struck out five of the 27 batters she faced.
Belmont's lone run came in the third inning, when Amy Zeronian led off the inning with a single then advanced to second on a throwing error. She was sacrificed to third by Baylee Cook, then scored when Hayley Baker flew out to right field. Baker had the only other Bruin hit when she singled to right center to lead off the sixth.
Chisolm recorded Jacksonville State's first hit when she doubled to left center with one out in the third. Caitlyn Sapp followed with a single in the fourth and Denes hit a single in the fifth to round out the Gamecocks' offensive production.
Shelby Willard (4-14) got the start for Belmont in the circle, but only worked the first inning before giving way to Taylor Moon, who went the next three, and Carolyn Snodgress, who worked the final two.
SIUE 3, UT MARTIN 2
MARTIN, Tenn. - SIUE softball earned a 3-2 victory over UT Martin in seven innings on a home run from Haley Adrian.
SIUE improves to 15-11 in the Ohio Valley Conference with the win and 23-24 overall. UT Martin falls to 14-12 in the OVC and 30-24 overall.
After falling behind 2-0 in the third inning, the Cougars found their offensive stride in the fifth. Amy Hunt singled up the center and was replaced by pinch-runner Page Clinton, who advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Kelsey Hansen. Savannah Fisher entered the game to pinch hit and scored Clinton to put the Cougars on the board.
SIUE continued its scoring in the sixth. After reaching on a fielding error, Tess Eby stole second and was driven in on an RBI single from Allison Smiley, evening the score at 2-2. The RBI was Smiley's 16th of the year.
In the top of the seventh, Adrian blasted her fourth home run of the year to centerfield to put the Cougars back on top.
Baylee Douglass pitched the first three innings for the Cougars, allowing two runs on four hits. Ashley Koziol earned the win, pitching four shutout innings and allowing just one hit for the ninth victory of the season.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 6, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1; SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 4, EASTERN ILLINOIS 1
CHARLESTON, Ill - Eastern Illinois softball split Sunday's doubleheader against Southeast Missouri to close out their 2016 regular season. The Panthers opened senior day with a stellar 6-1 victory over the Redhawks before falling in the late game 4-1 to SEMO.
With the split the Panthers close out the season with a 23-26 overall record while going 17-8 in the OVC. Southeast Missouri finishes the year at 16-33 and 10-17 in the conference.
Kylie Bennett had a massive performance for EIU finishing the day 4-for-5 at the plate with three RBIs, two runs scored, one double, and two home runs. With her two home runs, Bennett now holds the EIU single-season record for home runs with a total of 11 this year.
Both Jessica Wireman and Michelle Rogers recorded complete games on the mound for EIU, but Wireman picked up the win in game one to improve to 17-17 on the season. Wireman allowed only one run in her seven innings pitched while striking out four batters.
SEMO opened up the scoring in game one on Sunday afternoon as Danielle Turner hit a solo shot over the center field wall in the top of the second inning to give the Redhawks a 1-0 lead.
The Panthers answered back in a wild bottom of the second inning as Bennett hit a lead-off double to left center field. A single up the middle from Amber Toenyes put runners on the corners for the Panthers as both Taylor Monahan and Amber Matchett came in to pinch run for Bennett and Toenyes respectively. After stealing second base, Matchett managed to advance to third base as Monahan was caught off third base threatening to steal home. Andrea Roberts managed to get runners back on the corners after being walked in the next at-bat. Roberts was subsequently caught in a rundown trying to steal second, allowing Matchett to cross home plate safely during the confusion and tie the game 1-1.
EIU gained the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning as Katie Watson legged out her first career triple with a shot down the right field line. Bennett brought her around to score on the next at-bat as she crushed a two-run home run over the right field wall to make it 3-1.
Bennett hit her record breaking home run in the bottom of the sixth inning with another shot over the right field wall to extend EIU's lead to 4-1. The Panthers kept up the hitting after the home run with a double from April Markowski followed by a single up the middle from Toenyes to put runners on the corners. After Toenyes was caught off the bag for the second out of the inning, Roberts stepped up to the plate drilling a single through the left side to score Markowski and give EIU a 5-1 lead. Mady Poulter advanced Roberts to third base with a single to right field on the next at-bat. Roberts eventually came around to score thanks to a pass ball from SEMO's pitcher to earn the final run of the game and give the Panthers the 6-1 victory.
Bennett was a perfect 3-for-3 in game one for EIU with three RBI's, two runs scored, a double, and two home runs. Markowski, Toenyes, and Poulter all finished the first game 2-for-3 at the plate.
It was a different story in game two for the Panthers as it looked to be a more defensive showdown between the two teams. It wasn't until the fourth inning when SEMO would break the 0-0 deadlock.
The Redhawks' Turner opened the inning reaching first safely by drawing a walk before eventually advancing to second on a passed ball. Turner came around to score on the next at-bat as Abby Tillotson singled through the right side to give SEMO a 1-0 lead. Haylee Krack earned a pass to first pass on the next at-bat after being hit by the pitch only to advance to second during the next at-bat off EIU's second pass ball of the inning. With runner's on second and third base and no outs the Panthers looked to halt the Redhawks' scoring. Tillotson was thrown out at home as Brittany Stevens reached first on the fielder's choice. Darby Pruett stepped up to the plate and smashed a double to deep left center to score Krack from third base, but Jennette Isaac and Watson managed to keep Stevens from adding another run with a great throw-out from left field. EIU managed to make it out of the inning only trailing SEMO 2-0.
SEMO got back their lost run in the top of the fifth as Harli Wheeler opened the inning with an infield single. Wheeler went on to steal second and advance to third as Savannah Carpenter flied out to right field. Wheeler would eventually cross home plate following a single from Tillotson through the left side to give SEMO a 3-0 lead.
The Panthers pulled one back in the bottom of the inning as Toenyes singled through the right side to lead off the fifth for EIU. Monahan once again came into pinch run eventually advancing all the way to third base as Ashlynne Paul singled to right field. Poulter grounded into a double play on the next at-bat but still managed to score Monahan from third despite the double play to make it 3-1.
Southeast Missouri regained their three-run lead in the following inning as Wheeler hit an RBI double to left center field to give the Redhawks a 4-1 lead. That would prove to be the final run of the day as SEMO went on to win game two 4-1.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 10, TENNESSEE TECH 3
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The regular season was brought to an end on Sunday as the Tennessee Tech softball team (23-31, 14-13 OVC) closed out the year at home versus conference-opponent Eastern Kentucky (35-15, 17-8 OVC). The Colonels defeated the Golden Eagles 10-3 in the mid-afternoon rubber match.
EKU got on the board first in the top of the second inning when Hannah Clark doubled down the third base line to drive in the first run of the day. An Amber Murray sacrifice bunt and Tech throwing error then allowed two more runs to score in the inning, giving the Colonels the early 3-0 lead.
Eastern Kentucky continued to add on two more runs in the top of the third when a Paige Murphy double to left center lengthened the Colonel lead to 5-0. Cortney Fry put Tech on the board in the bottom of the fourth when she knocked a single up the middle with bases loaded and one down, cutting the EKU lead to 5-1.
The Colonels went on a late run in the top of the seventh notching five more runs off of two walks from freshman southpaw Leigh Thomas, a two-RBI double by Krislyn Campos, and an RBI from Kayla Joyce to now lead 10-1. Tech attempted to make a comeback in the bottom of the seventh when Sarah Freels hit a two-run blast over the center field wall to cut the lead 10-3, but the Golden Eagles could not cut the Colonel lead.
Hannah Weaver (4-11) suffered the loss for Tech. Weaver went for two innings and slowed five runs (three earned) off of six hits. Alex Sallberg (10-6) saw victory in the circle for Eastern Kentucky. Sallberg went for 3.2 innings and allowed two runs off of three hits.