TUESDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Illinois 1, Fort Wayne 0
Eastern Kentucky 13, @Northern Kentucky 4
@Missouri 13,
Southeast Missouri 4 (5)
@Missouri 9,
Southeast Missouri 1 (6)
Ole Miss 7,
@UT Martin 2
SIUE 7, @Saint Louis 3
EASTERN ILLINOIS 1, FORT WAYNE 0
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Eastern Illinois softball team only needed one run Tuesday afternoon to secure a 1-0 victory over the visiting Fort Wayne Mastodons. With the win EIU improves to 25-17 on the year while Fort Wayne drops to 9-32.
The Panthers were able to hold Fort Wayne scoreless thanks to the stellar combined pitching of Jessica Wireman and Michelle Rogers. Both pitchers combined for eight strikeouts in the game as Wireman recorded the win to improve to 14-9 this season while Rogers earned her third save of the year.
The lone run of the game came in the bottom of the third inning as Kaitlyn Crossen was hit by a pitch in her lead-off at-bat to put one runner on. Crossen advanced to second on a ground-out by Kayla Bear before Haley Mitchell ripped a single through the left side to record the only RBI of the day and give EIU the 1-0 lead.
Wireman and Rogers held the Mastodons to only four hits in the game.
Mady Poulter finished the game a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate with a double in her first appearance. Mitchell was the only other Panther to record multiple hits going 2-for-3 for the game.
The Panthers now go on the road for two crucial OVC doubleheaders starting at Tennessee Tech Saturday (Apr. 22) followed by OVC-leading Jacksonville State Sunday (Apr. 23)
EASTERN KENTUCKY 13, NORTHERN KENTUCKY 3
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The red-hot Eastern Kentucky University softball team crushed host Northern Kentucky, 13-4, on Tuesday afternoon at Frank Ignatius Grein Field.
The Colonels (19-23) have now won four straight games and have outscored their opponents 50-7 over the last 27 innings of play.
After two scoreless frames, EKU got on the board in the top of the third. Sophomore Rachel Minogue – the OVC’s leading hitter with a .426 batting average – started the rally by lacing a two-out RBI single through the right side of the infield, scoring senior Kelly Wood. Junior Johnkyria Alston followed that up by driving a two-run base hit into center field, plating Minogue and senior Krislyn Campos. Sophomore Hannah Clark capped the inning with an RBI double into the gap in left center to make it 4-0.
NKU (12-29) responded with two runs in the home half of the third to cut EKU’s lead in half; however, the Colonel offense did not let up. Freshman pitcher Mollie Paulick opened the inning with a double to right, went to third on a sacrifice bunt by senior Amber Murray and then scored on a sacrifice fly to center from Wood. Campos followed that up with a solo home run to left, making it 6-2.
Eastern continued to pour it on from there. Paulick ripped an RBI double to right center in the fifth, scoring Alston. The Colonels then pushed across six runs in the top of the sixth to put the game out of reach.
Wood, Campos and junior Paige Murphy opened the frame with three consecutive singles to load the bases for Minogue, who delivered with a two-run base hit into left center. Alston followed that up with a two-run double to left that plated Murphy and Minogue. The next batter, Clark, singled through the right side to score Alston. Freshman Shelby Atzinger ended the scoring with a sacrifice fly that brought sophomore Brittany Oldaker home and made it 13-2.
The Norse got two runs in the bottom of the sixth, but it was too little, too late.
The two top run producers in the OVC – Alston and Minogue – lived up to their reputation on Tuesday. Alston finished 3-for-4 with four RBI, three runs scored and two doubles, while Minogue went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Paulick, meanwhile, finished 3-for-4 on the day with a pair of doubles, an RBI and a run scored.
Paulick (9-8) was just as efficient in the circle, tossing a complete game to earn her ninth win of the season. The native of Centerville, Ohio allowed four runs on only four hits while striking out six batters and walking none.
EKU returns to action this weekend with a pair of OVC doubleheaders at UT Martin and Southeast Missouri.
MISSOURI 13, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 4; MISSOURI 9, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (17-23) fell to Missouri (26-18), 14-3, 9-1, in a pair of shortened games Tuesday.
In game one, SEMO took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a two-out single by Claudia Gallo. Gallo's hit to center drove in both Rachel Anderson and Addison Barnouski. Barnouski singled and Anderson walked to get on base earlier in the frame.
Mizzou responded with 10 unanswered runs after that.
The Tigers tied things up during their at-bat in the second inning.
Then, after tacking on two runs in the third, Mizzou erupted for 10 more over the final two frames.
With one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Tigers scored six runs. Five of those were unearned as the Tigers took advantage of two SEMO errors. Cayla Kessinger's single stretched Mizzou's lead to 10-2.
The Redhawks managed to get another run in the top of the fifth when pinch-runner Brittany Stevens touched home on Barnouski's grounder to third.
Mizzou again loaded the bases in the fifth inning with a walk and two infield hits. Braxton Burnside followed with a grand slam over the center field wall to end the game.
Burnside went 4-for-4 with three runs scored, a home run and five RBIs to lead the Tigers out of the cleanup spot.
Danielle Baumgartner (5-5) picked up the win, striking out three and giving up four hits in four innings.
Madeline Krumrey (10-7) took the loss. Krumrey gave up seven hits and five runs, and walked one in 3.1 innings. Mackenzie Hoelting relieved Krumrey and gave up six runs on nine hits the rest of the way.
Brooke Rheinecker went 2-for-2 to lead SEMO at the top of the order.
Mizzou had multiple runners on base in five of its six at-bats to key its 9-1 win in the nightcap. The Tigers put up three runs in both the first and fourth innings, and never looked back. Mizzou pushed across its last run of the game in the bottom of the sixth.
Anderson's two-out single gave the Redhawks their only run in the third inning.
Ashley Ellis led SEMO with two hits.
Cheyenne Baxter (13-5) was credited with the win. Baxter scattered five hits and struck out four in four innings.
Alexis Estes (5-8) suffered the loss. Estes gave up 13 hits and eight runs in 3.1 innings.
Mizzou outhit SEMO, 30-9, for the doubleheader.
The Redhawks return to Cape Girardeau to host Morehead State (Apr. 22) and Eastern Kentucky (Apr. 23) this weekend.
OLE MISS 7, UT MARTIN 2
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team had to endure a 60-minute severe weather delay due to heavy amounts of lightning in the area, postponing the start of tonight’s contest by over an hour before ultimately falling 7-2 to Southeastern Conference foe No. 18 Ole Miss.
The Skyhawks (31-14) proved no match to the nation’s No. 18 ranked program in regional power Ole Miss. UT Martin would manage just four hits on the afternoon while allowing six earned runs to score on top of a pair of errors. Meanwhile, the Rebels would explode for seven runs on 12 hits – scoring in six of the seven innings.
Four different players would tally base hits for the Skyhawks as Carly Gonzales, Jodie Duncan, Aeron Smith and Reid Ballard each scratched out base knocks. Gonzales extended her streak of consecutive games reaching base to 21 while scoring a run. The junior duo of Duncan and Smith would represent the team’s offense with each tallying a RBI.
Brooke Kennedy (16-4, 2.82 ERA) suffered the loss after allowing five earned runs in four innings of work. Sara Hooten who appear in relief, allowing two runs in three innings.
No. 18 Ole Miss (31-13) would score early and often, jumping out to an early lead in the first inning. The Rebels would turn to Elantra Cox to start the game, tallying a single through the left side. A pair of outs would almost feature an escape route for the Skyhawks but a single through the left side by Sarah Van Schaik brought the speedster home to score.
UT Martin turned to the bottom half of the inning to tie the game. Gonzales led off the inning with a single down the left field line before moving into scoring position following a sacrifice bunt by Lauren Myers. Later in the inning, Gonzales would come home to score on a two-out single by Duncan to put the Skyhawks on the board.
The Rebels would push their lead out once again with runs in both the second and third innings to give the squad a two-run advantage. Cox would come through with a RBI of her own in the second, stroking a single up the middle to break the tie. The third inning saw Van Schaik tallied her second RBI of the game, blasting a RBI double into the left center field gap to make it a 3-1 contest.
The Skyhawks looked to trim the deficit back within one run in the bottom of the third. The inning would start with Gracyn McBride advancing all the way to third on a fielding error at the wall to move into scoring position. Needing just a base knock to score the team’s second run, Smith would lace a single to right field to cut the margin to one run.
Ole Miss would not be content though, rolling through the final four innings of play by scoring four runs to push the margin out to its final score of 7-2. A two-run single by Kylan Becker would highlight the fourth inning for the Rebels before squad capped off the night’s scoring with RBIs by Grayce Majam and Ashton Lampton.
UT Martin will return to action with a pair of home OVC doubleheaders over the weekend. The Skyhawks will play host to Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, April 22 before taking on Morehead State on Sunday, April 23. First pitch from Bettye Giles Field is scheduled for 1 p.m. each day.
SIUE 7, SAINT LOUIS 3
ST. Louis, Mo. - SIUE softball picked up its 35th victory of the season with a 7-3 road victory against Saint Louis at the Billiken Sports Center.
Reagan Curtis and Sarah Lopesilvero each had two RBIs. Curtis drove home her runs with doubles in both the first and sixth innings. Lopesilvero blasted a two-run home run in the fifth inning.
Haley Chambers-Book earned her 22nd victory of the season by throwing the final 3 2/3 innings and not allowing a run in relief of Ashley Koziol and Emily Ingles. SIUE improved to 35-8 for the season.
SIUE opened up a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Alyssa Heren opened the game with a bunt single. After stealing second, Zoe Schafer moved her to third on a sacrifice bunt. Allison Smiley then was hit by a pitch. The Cougars executed the double steal on the corners to perfection to open the scoring.
Curtis followed with an RBI doubles. Sydney Bina later was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to account for the other run.
SLU, 17-20, tied the score in the second inning. Hailey Weavers hit a home run to left field with two runners on base.
The eventual game-winning RBI occurred in the fourth. Once again, SIUE loaded the bases on SLU starter Maddie Baalman. This time Smiley picked up the RBI when she was hit by a pitch.
Lopesilvero hit her fifth home run of the season in the fifth inning. She is now tied for the team lead in homers with Schafer and Heren.
The Cougars added an insurance run in the sixth when Curtis drove home Schafer. Curtis' double just missed being a home run by a few feet and thumped the left-center field fence.
SIUE returns to Ohio Valley Conference play with a Saturday doubleheader at Jacksonville State and a Sunday doubleheader at Tennessee Tech.