SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Jacksonville State 4, UT Martin 0
UT Martin 7, @Jacksonville State 5
@Tennessee Tech 3, Southeast Missouri 2
@Tennessee Tech 3, Southeast Missouri 2
JACKSONVILLE STATE 4, UT MARTIN 0; UT MARTIN 7, JACKSONVILLE STATE 5
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Whitney Gillespie shut down the top offense in the Ohio Valley Conference and then UT Martin used one big inning to split a doubleheader to open conference play on Saturday at University Field.
Gillespie handed the Skyhawks (21-8, 1-1 OVC), a team that entered the day with the top batting average in the league, their first shutout of the season in a 4-0 opener. The Gamecocks (19-9, 1-1 OVC) gave up all seven runs in a 7-5 loss in the nightcap in one inning to have their historic OVC streak snapped.
After the game one win extended JSU's conference win streak to an OVC-record 31 games, the defeat in game two was JSU's first in league play since April 25, 2015. It snapped the second-longest active conference win streak in the nation and also set a school record for consecutive league wins.
While Gillespie was shining in the circle, her battery mate was delivering at the plate. Senior Jamie McGuire went 5-for-6 on the day with a walk and two RBI to raise her season batting average to .354. Sophomore Hayley Sims was 3-for-7 with a homer, a double and three RBI on the day to lift her average to .375.
Gillespie struck out seven and didn't issue a walk in her 10th complete game and third shutout of the year. She allowed just five hits, all single, to the potent UTM lineup to improve to 10-3 on the season.
She got single runs in four innings, the first two coming off of McGuire's bat and the last two off of Sims'. McGuire singled in Anna Chisolm in the first and belted a solo homer in the third, while Sims' solo homer in the fourth and RBI single in the sixth accounted for JSU's offense.
Sara Hooten (6-3) was tagged with the loss in the game, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks in 3.1 innings in the circle.
In the nightcap, JSU seemed to take control of the game with a run in the first on a Stephanie Lewis RBI single and a two-run Emily Woodruff homer in the fourth. The three-run lead seemed to be plenty for JSU starter Taylor West, who blanked the Skyhawks for four frames.
UTM's bats came alive in the fifth, when the Skyhawks scored seven runs to grab a 7-3 lead. A three-run double from Gracyn McBride and a three-run homer by Alli Fulcher accounted for most of the scoring.
West (7-4) was chased after allowing seven runs, six earned, on seven hits in 4.1 innings. She walked two and struck out five before making way for sophomore Faith Sims, who struck out three and allowed just two hits in 2.2 scoreless frames.
JSU got two back in the sixth on RBI singled from Chisolm and Alexus Jimmerson to make it a 7-5 game and then put the tying runner on base in the seventh, but they couldn't overcome the deficit.
Brooke Kennedy (9-2) earned the win in the circle for UTM, allowing five runs on 11 hits in seven frames of work.
TENNESSEE TECH 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2; TENNESSEE TECH 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 2
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Tech offense put runs on the scoreboard early on Saturday, then it was solid efforts in the circle on Saturday as the Golden Eagles pulled together a doubleheader sweep over Southeast Missouri.
Tech earned a pair of 3-2 victories over the Redhawks on Saturday, starting off its Ohio Valley Conference slate on a high note with a 2-0 record.
The Golden Eagles (9-17, 2-0 OVC) continue their homestand on Sunday, hosting UT Martin in a twinbill, starting at noon, weather permitting.
In game one, it was a three-run home run in the bottom of the first Inning from Bayli Cruse that put Tech on top, with SEMO's Abby Tillotson hitting a two-run blast in the second – and that was it for the scoring.
But that was due to a duel in the circle between Tech starter Danielle Liberatore and SEMO reliever Mackenzie Hoelting. After starter Alexis Estes went just a third of an inning after giving up the Cruse blast, Hoelting kept the Golden Eagles off the scoreboard, allowing just two hits and striking out four over the course of 5 2/3 innings.
Liberatore (3-6), on the other hand, was in control of the strike zone, recording 16 strikeouts in the contest. She was one strikeout short of her own Tech and career record at 17. In her complete game effort, she allowed two runs on five hits and walked five.
Liberatore also came up big in a clutch situation in the second game, preserving the victory for Leigh Ellen Thomas, as she recorded her first save of the season. Thomas saw runners on first and second before Graham brought the game one starter back in, then Liberatore struck out Sarah Messex and coaxed a fly out to center field from Tillotson to end the contest.
Thomas had a shaky start, giving up two runs on five hits in the opening inning, but Tech countered in the bottom of the second, tying the game on a two-run double from Kelly Kennedy.
The Golden Eagles took the lead as Aalia Bivens hit a solo home run in the fifth inning.
Thomas kept her composure after the first inning, keeping SEMO off of the scoreboard the rest of the way. She worked 6 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on 12 hits as she walked one and struck out eight.