WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
@Dayton 8,
Morehead State 1
@Dayton 6
, Morheead State 5
Middle Tennessee 2,
@UT Martin 0
Bradley 11,
@SIUE 1
Belmont 7, @Samford 6
Indiana State 6,
@Eastern Illinois 4
Indiana State 5,
@Eastern Illinois 4
Mississippi State 11,
Jacksonvillle State 3
No. 22 Kentucky 11,
@Eastern Kentucky 5
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 2, UT MARTIN 0
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team struggled to find its way offensively on Wednesday afternoon, being shutout for just the third time this season against in-state foe Middle Tennessee in a 2-0 decision.
The Skyhawks (23-15) managed to outhit the Blue Raiders on the day with six base hits, but could not push a run across the plate, stranding four runners in scoring position.
The newcomer duo of junior Haylee Short and freshman Kallie Pickens tallied multi-hit performances while Aalia Bivens and Paige Clark also recorded hits of their own in the contest.
Middle Tennessee (22-16) picked up its first run in the top of the third inning as a single up the middle by Sydney Heath scored Lani Rodriguez to break the scoreless tie. The Blue Raiders then found another valuable run in the fourth as Lexi Cushing cranked an opposite field home run to right field.
Freshman Lexi Ray (6-5) was credited with the loss after striking out three and allowing two earned runs in four innings of work. Classmate Erin Gallagher later appeared in relief, striking out a pair in three scoreless innings.
UT Martin will return to Ohio Valley Conference action on Saturday, April 6 with a doubleheader at Eastern Illinois. First pitch from Charleston, Ill. is scheduled for 1 p.m.
BRADLEY 11, SIUE 1
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE softball will now look to Saturday for its Ohio Valley Conference home opener after dropping its first game of the season Wednesday at Cougar Field to the Bradley Braves.
SIUE, 9-15, was defeated by the visiting Braves 11-1 in five innings.
Micah Arps drove home the lone run in the fifth inning. After a Bailley Concatto single, Arps crushed a triple to right center field.
Bradley improved to 18-13 overall with 12 hits overall, including three extra-base hits. Taise Thompson led the Braves with four RBIs. Allison Apke added a 3-for-3 performance with three RBIs.
Grace French earned the victory and improved to 5-3. Corrina Rivas, 4-6, took the loss for the Cougars.
SIUE's next action is Saturday with a 2 p.m. doubleheader against Southeast Missouri.
BELMONT 7, SAMFORD 6
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Belmont Softball dug deep to hold off a late rally on the road at Samford Wednesday night, snapping a five-game skid. The Bruins (20-15) used a strong defensive effort late to hold off the charging Bulldogs (15-24) for the 7-6 win.
After a pair of quiet innings to open the contest, the Bruins broke it open in the top of third. Sophomore Elison Ollinger (Robins, Iowa) was hit by a pitch and was quickly moved to second base behind a single up by the middle by senior Baylee Cook (Lewisburg, Tenn.). A double to left by sophomore Cheyenne Cavanaugh (Spring, Texas) was enough to get one runner home before senior Hayley Baker (Rockwall, Texas) singled to right and a fly out junior Bailey Sims (Flowery Branch, Ga.) sent two more Bruins over the plate to the visitors ahead, 3-0.
BU's bats wasted little time to get hot once again, this time in the top of the following inning. Freshman Audrey Lyle (Westlake, Ohio) smacked her fifth homerun of the season over the left fence as Belmont continued to pile on the runs. Ollinger would knock another single and would be joined on base by Cook after a Bulldog throwing error. Back-to-back singles by sophomore Alicia Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.) and Baker sent two more Bruins home to increase BU's lead to 6-0 by the end of the frame.
The Bruins inched dangerously close to a run rule decision in the fifth inning after posting its seventh run of the contest. Belmont saw senior Chelsea Thomas (Hot Springs, Ark.) single to left and Ollinger hit by a pitch before a long single up the middle by Cook helped a run over the plate to put BU ahead, 7-0.
Samford came completely to life in the bottom of the sixth inning posting a stunning five runs on a one-out rally while capitalizing on a pair of BU errors. Despite the Bruins making a change inside the circle to Veltri, the Bulldogs were able to get one more run over the plate to move within one, 7-6. Veltri was able to use a strikeout to end the harrowing half inning.
BU was quiet offensively in its half of the seventh, holding onto its slim 7-6 lead. The Bruins would turn up the defensive heat in the final half inning. A blistering throw from Ollinger to Thomas secured an out was bookended by a pair of strikeouts to secure the victory by the same score for Belmont.
Baker went 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of RBI. Cook, Cavanaugh, and Lyle all went 2-for-4 at the plate.
Junior Brittany Kennett comes away with the win in the circle, posting four strikeouts. Veltri notched her first save of the season in the effort with three fanned batters.
Belmont returns to OVC action on Saturday with a trip to Morehead State. The doubleheader is slated to begin at 12:30pm CT.
KENTUCKY 11, EASTERN KENTUCKY 5
RICHMOND, Ky. - The Eastern Kentucky University softball team came up short against No. 22 University of Kentucky on Wednesday night at Gertrude Hood Field.
At a capacity filled Gertrude Hood Field, Kentucky got on the board first after Jenny Shaper sent the 2-2 pitch over the left center field fence to take the early 1-0 lead.
UK pushed three more across in the top of the third to take a 4-0 lead, but EKU answered right back.
Melissa Jacobsen got the bottom of the third started with a single down the left field line with one out. Destinee Lizzmore reached on an error followed by a Sammi Miller walk that loaded the bases for the Colonels. Carly Robinson got Eastern on the board after drawing a walk to make it 3-1. EKU was not done there, Emily Corbitt drove the 1-2 pitch right back up the middle to bring home two and make it 4-3 after three innings of play.
Abby Cheek wasted no time getting one of those runs back as she sent a 3-2 pitch over the left center field fence to give UK a 5-3 lead. Kentucky pushed one more across after Katie Reed singled down the left field line to score Alex Martens. UK scored one more in the fifth to take a 7-3 lead heading into the sixth inning.
Gaby De La Cerda got things started with a double down the left field line, followed by a Jacobsen single to put runners on the corners with no one out. With runners on second and third, Hannah Clark shot an 0-2 pitch the other way to bring home two and make the score 7-5.
Kentucky scored four more in the top of the seventh to pull away.
Corbitt went 1-for-2 with two walks and two RBIs. Jacobsen was 2-for-3 with two runs on the night. Clark chipped in a 1-for-4 performance with two RBIs on the contest.
Cheek went 2-for-3 with one home run, two walks and one RBI. Reed was 3-for-3 with four RBIs.
The Colonels return to the diamond Saturday, when they travel to Tennessee State for a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. ET.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 11, JACKSONVILLE STATE 3
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - The Jacksonville State softball team jumped on Mississippi State Wednesday night, but the Bulldogs answered and grabbed an 11-3 win in a neutral site matchup on the University of Alabama-Huntsville's campus.
A pair of second-inning home runs from seniors Anna Chisolm and Hayley Sims gave the Gamecocks (23-9) an early 3-1 advantage, but the Bulldogs (23-12) scored 11 unanswered runs to snap JSU's four-game win streak and hand the Gamecocks just their third loss in the last 15 games.
JSU managed six hits on the MSU pitching staff, led by a 2-for-3 night from Taylor Beshears that featured a double. Chisolm tied Beshears for the team lead in home runs with her 12thof the season, while Sims hit her third homer of the year.
Senior ace Faith Sims (15-2) suffered just her second loss in the circle for JSU. The Cordova, Ala., native surrendered six runs on six hits in 4 and 1/3 innings of work. She walked four and struck out one. Senior Kirsten Titus tossed the final 1 and 1/3 innings for the Gamecocks, allowing five runs on five hits and two walks.
Grace Fagan (5-5) earned the win for Mississippi State, tossing 4 and 2/3 innings of relief that saw her hold JSU scoreless on one hit, a walk and five strike outs. Kayla Boseman started the game but was pulled in the second after giving up three runs on five hits and a walk.
Chisolm started the scoring with her solo shot to center in the second, and Hayley Sims followed an Amber Jones walk with her two-run blast that also cleared the center field wall and gave JSU a 3-0 advantage.
MSU got one back in the bottom of the third and then tied the game on a two-run single from Sarai Niu in the fourth. A three-run fifth opened it up before five runs in the sixth ended the game.
Emily Heimberger and Candace Denis each went 3-for-3 for MSU, with Heimberger homering and scoring twice, while Denis tripled and drove in three runs.
The Gamecocks will return to University Field on Friday, when they will host a key Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader vs. Austin Peay at University Field. The first game will start at 1 p.m. and both will be broadcast live on ESPN+
DAYTON 8, MOREHEAD STATE 1; DAYTON 6, MOREHEAD STATE 5
DAYTON, Ohio - Late rallies ultimately doomed the Morehead State softball team as they dropped a pair of games to Dayton on Wednesday afternoon at UD Softball Field.
The Flyers used a six-run sixth inning in games one's 8-1 decision and a five-run fifth inning in a 6-5 come-from-behind effort in game two.
Notably, at the plate, freshman Peyton Slater went 4-for-6 with a double and a run scored while Sophomore Alexis Strother hit her fourth home run of 2019.
Senior Cheyenne Meyer drove in two runs with a pinch-hit single in game two. Freshman Peyton Rose also was credited for an RBI in game two as she singled home Aubrey Bennett in the second game.
In the circle, freshman left-handed pitcher Lakyn Largent was hung with both losses. The Paducah, Ky., product tied her season-high innings pitched in game one with five frames tossed in a start. Largent allowed gave up just three hits and two runs before Dayton's late rally in the sixth ended her day. Junior Randi Hamilton started game two and allowed nine hits and four runs before Largent re-entered to toss the final two frames.
Morehead State dropped to 2-25 overall while Dayton's record improved to 17-16.
The Eagles return to Ohio Valley Conference play on Saturday with a home doubleheader against Belmont. Morehead State is 0-6 in league play. Belmont comes to University Field with a 20-15 record and a 2-6 tally in the OVC.
Game one's first pitch is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
INDIANA STATE 6, EASTERN ILLINOIS 4; INDIANA STATE 5, EASTERN ILLINOIS 4
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Kendyl McKeough and Mia Davis each hit a homer for Eastern Illinois softball in today's doubleheader with Indiana State. The Sycamores swept on the day with a 6-4 win in game one and a 5-4 win in game two. EIU falls to 10-19 overall while ISU improves to 13-20.
The Panthers will be back in action with an OVC doubleheader this weekend. EIU will take on the UT Martin Skyhawks at 1 pm on Saturday at Williams Field.
Game 1
EIU tallied six hits in game one of today's action. Haley Mitchell led with two hits, while five other players each tallied one.
The Panthers scored the first run of the game on McKeough's solo homer to center field. ISU would tie the game in the fourth on a single from Brooke Mann.
The Sycamores added two more runs in the fifth, one more in the sixth, and two more in the seventh as Amanda Guercio hit a two-run homer to left field giving ISU a 6-1 lead.
Hannah Kissel pinch hit for Taylor Jones in the bottom of the seventh to lead off with a single to right field. Davis doubled to center field later in the inning to tally two RBI. She later scored on a single down the left field line from Mitchell bringing EIU within two, but the Panthers run would fall short giving ISU a 6-4 win.
Jade Montgomery made the start and retired three batters falling to 4-14. Sydney Cammon pitched the final inning on the mound.
Game 2
McKeough and Megan Burton combined for six of EIU's nine hits in the second game each tallying three. Burton also scored two runs, while McKeough added an RBI.
ISU opened the second inning with a solo homer from Brooke Mann to left field giving the Sycamores a 1-0 edge. Kissel tied the game in the fourth inning after scoring on a single from Lexi Smith.
McKeough singled up the middle in the bottom of the fifth to bring the Panthers within one of the Sycamores after they scored two runs in the top. ISU scored another two runs in the seventh jumping out to a 5-2 leads.
Burton doubled to left center in EIU's second at bat of the seventh to lead the Panthers on a rally. Davis homered to left field to tally her two RBI of the game. EIU's run would fall short as they lost 4-5.
McKenna Coffman falls to 2-9 on the mound as her and Hannah Cravens split time pitching for EIU.