FRIDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Kentucky 4, Nicholls State 2
Eastern Kentucky 6, @Alabama State 0
Eastern Illinois 6, Western Carolina 2
@Georgia 4,
Eastern Illinois 0
Northern Kentucky 3,
Murray State 1
Illinois State 11,
Austin Peay 4
@Western Kentucky 8,
Austin Peay 4
Belmont 6, ULM 5
@Central Arkansas 5,
Belmont 2
UT Martin 9, Alcorn State 0
@Jacksonville State 6, Samford 2
@Jacksonville State 14, UTSA 7
Lipscomb 4,
SIUE 2
SIUE 23, UMBC 1
EASTERN KENTUCKY 4, NICHOLLS STATE 2; EASTERN KENTUCKY 6, ALABAMA STATE 0
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Eastern Kentucky University softball team pushed its winning streak to double-digits after a pair of wins on Friday in Montgomery.
Eastern beat Nicholls in game one, 4-2, before knocking off host Alabama State in game two, 6-0.
Nicholls (8-12) struck first in game one.
A leadoff walk in the top of the second by Caitlin Garcia got things started for the Colonels. After advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt, Yasmeen Williams sent a pitch over the left center field fence to give Nicholls the early 2-0 lead.
Nicholls did not get another hit.
Eastern Kentucky (14-2) scored two runs in the fifth and sixth innings to complete the comeback.
Lou Bowers got things started with a leadoff single in the bottom of the fifth. Sammi Miller followed with a triple into the right center gap to score Miranda Lopez and cut into the lead, 2-1. Ariyana Miranda drove in Miller with a RBI ground out to tie the game at 2-2 after five innings.
In the bottom of the sixth, Mollie Paulick drew a one out walk to gets things started for the Colonels. Isabella Gonzalez gave Eastern the lead sending a two run home run over the left field fence to take a 4-2 lead.
Paulick (6-1) went the distance in the circle tossing seven innings, allowing two runs and striking out four.
Gonzalez went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBIs. Miller went 1-for-3 with one triple and one RBI.
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In game two, the Colonels scored three runs in the first and two in the third to take a commanding 5-0 lead and not look back.
Miller led the game off with an infield single to get things started. Miranda followed with a double into the right center gap to put runners on second and third with no one out. After a Carly Robinson walk loaded the bases with one out, Miller and Miranda scored on back-to-back wild pitches to give Eastern the 2-0 lead. Mattira Morales brought home Robinson with a sacrifice fly.
In the top of the third, Miller started with a leadoff single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Zoe Mihalicz got hit by a pitch to put runners on first and third with one out. Robinson brought home Miller with a RBI single to push the lead to 4-0. Vianna Barron doubled down the right field line to score Mihalicz to extend the Colonel lead to 5-0.
Samantha Reynoso (4-1) started in the circle, tossing five innings and striking out one.
Bethany Todd tossed two scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
Miranda went 3-for-3 with three doubles on the game. Miller went 2-for-4.
Eastern returns to the diamond tomorrow against Southern Miss and host Alabama State. First pitch against USM is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.
LIPSCOMB 4, SIUE 2; SIUE 23, UMBC 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – SIUE softball recorded the most runs scored in a single game in the Division I era Friday and the most since 1998 at the opening day of the Purple & Gold Challenge.
The Cougars defeated UMBC 23-1 with 12 different players scoring a run. The big inning was the fourth when SIUE plated 11 and sent 15 batters to the plate.
Earlier in the day, host Lipscomb edged the Cougars 4-2.
SIUE now holds an 8-2 record overall with three games left in the tournament. On Saturday, SIUE has a rematch with Lipscomb at 3 p.m. followed by a meeting with Indiana State at 5:30 p.m. On Sunday at noon, SIUE faces off again with UMBC.
Kloe Hilbrenner provided the offense against Lipscomb with a two-run homer in the top of the seventh. Lipscomb improved to 8-6 behind Megan Gray, who struck out eight.
SIUE's offense took advantage of 15 hits, 11 walks and two hit batters in the nightcap, blitzing UMBC up and down the lineup.
Kennedy Lehn improved to 3-0 with a five-inning win in which she gave up one run on four hits.
Friday's second game, however, was all about the offense.
SIUE opened the scoring in the first inning with five straights hits by Alana Cobb-Adams, Bailley Concatto, Zoe Schafer, Hilbrenner and Marlow. Reagan Curtis gave SIUE a 2-0 lead when she was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
With four runs in the second and six more in the third, SIUE already was well in control before tallying 11 in the fourth. Cobb-Adams and Rachel Quaritsch each homered in the inning. The Cougars had four home runs for the game, including the third of the season by Concatto in the second inning.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 6, WESTERN CAROLINA 2; GEORGIA 4, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
ATHENS, GA.– The Panthers opened up the day with a victory over Western Carolina 6-2. In the second game of the day against Georgia, the Panthers fell 4-0. The Panthers are now 8-6 on the season
Tomorrow EIU will face Boston College at 9:30 Est. The Panther's second game is against Western Carolina at 5:30 Est. On Sunday EIU will play its last game of the tournament against Boston College.
Game 1
In the first game for the Panthers, Jade Montgomery got the start in the circle and the win. Taylor Florea came in in the seven-inning and finished the game. Montgomery finished the first game with five strikeouts and one walk.
The Panthers got out to a quick lead as Kayla Bear led off with a one-run home run to start off for the Panthers. Eastern continued that into the second inning as Taylor Jones scored off a fielder error. Western got on the board in the second inning as well making the score 2-2 with a Perilla two-run RBI double.
No runs were scored until the fifth inning. Megan Burton hit a two-run home run scoring Kendyl McKeough to make the score 4-2. The Panthers polished off the game with a run scored in the sixth inning by Hannah Cravens and one in the seventh by a Haley Mitchell home run.
The Panthers finished with six runs off of 15 hits and one error. Bear, Cravens, Mia Davis, and Haley Mitchell all led the Panthers with three hits.
Game 2
In game two the Panthers took on the number 18 team in the country Georgia. Montgomery got the start against the Bulldogs and pitched 2.1 innings with one strikeout and one walk. Florea came in and pitched 3.2 innings with one earned run.
The Panthers kept the Bulldogs to no runs in six of the seven innings. In the fourth inning, the Bulldogs scored four runs. Mosley had two RBI's while Kuma and Fincher had one RBI each.
The Panthers ended the game with no runs on two hits and two errors. Bear and McKeough had the two hits for the Panthers.
Georgia was led by Lacey Fincher at the plate with two hits. Avant had a record setting day in the circle for the Bulldogs with 15 strikeouts passing her previous record of 12. The Bulldogs finished with four runs off of six hits and one error.
UT MARTIN 9, ALCORN STATE 0
STARKVILLE, Miss. – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team saw a breakout performance by freshman Skyler Davis to key a strong offensive day to knock off Alcorn State on the opening day of The Snowman Alex Wilcox Memorial Tournament by a score of 9-0.
The Skyhawks (10-7) tallied a season-high 14 hits while scoring nine runs in the opening of the five-game tournament field. Davis led the offensive attack by going 4-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. The pair of Paige Clark and Kaitlyn Kelley also posted a pair of base hits. Joining in the action with base knocks was the group of Chelsey Gore, Aalia Bivens, Kallie Pickens, Shyanne Sheffield and Madelyn Dycus.
UT Martin’s pitching duo of Hannah Ridolfi (4-1) and Seeley Layne combined for a shutout. Ridolfi picked up the victory after spreading three base hits over five innings of scoreless action. Layne recorded her first save of the season and third of her career with two strikeouts and one hit allowed in two innings.
The Skyhawks had no problems putting base runners on but they did suffer from timely hits in the first four innings of the contest, leaving nine combined runners on base in the first four frames. UT Martin finally broke through into the scoring column in the top of the fifth inning. Three singles would highlight the inning with Davis stroking a shot up the middle to take a 1-0 advantage before the second defensive error of the inning gave the Skyhawks a two-run lead.
Once on the scoreboard, UT Martin piled on runs in bunches in the final two innings. In the sixth inning the Skyhawks tallied four base hits as Bivens and Kelley led off the frame with a pair of hits before back-to-back runs came home on sacrifice plays by Pickens and Sheffield to tally RBIs. The Skyhawks scored two more runs on another RBI single by Davis while plating the team’s sixth run on yet another error.
The Skyhawks officially put the game out of reach in the top of the seventh inning. UT Martin would load the bases with two outs to set up Dycus who cashed in on the opportunity with a two-run single up the middle. The Skyhawks then tallied their ninth and final run on an infield single for a RBI by Clark.
UT Martin will return to action on Day Two of The Snowman on Saturday, Feb. 29 with matchups against Alcorn State (10 a.m.) and UAB (12:30 p.m.).
JACKSONVILLE STATE 6, SAMFORD 2; JACKSONVILLE STATE 14, UTSA 7
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Jacksonville State opened its JSU Invitational in impressive fashion on Friday, sweeping games with Samford and UT San Antionio on a cold day at University Field.
The Gamecocks (8-7) claimed a 6-2 win over the Bulldogs (7-10) to start their day and then rolled to a 14-7 victory over the Roadrunners (12-6) to close it. JSU hit a combined .444 over the two games, thanks to 28 hits.
Ten different Gamecocks recorded at least one hit, with eight of those picking up multiple hits. Junior Jada Terry and freshman Megan Fortner had five apiece, while sophomore Savannah Sudduth added four from the leadoff spot.
In the first game of the day, JSU scored first on a Sidney Wagnon RBI in the second, only to watch the Bulldogs plate two in the fourth to claim a one-run lead midway through the game.
Fortner answered in the home half of the fourth with a solo homer that tied it, and then an Alexus Jimmerson RBI in the fifth put a 3-2 JSU lead on the board. The Gamecocks broke it open in the sixth with three unearned runs, thanks to four Samford errors in the frame, to take the deciding lead.
Sophomore Lexi Androlevich (2-1) grabbed the win in relief for the Gamecocks, tossing 2 and 2/3 scoreless innings in the circle. Junior Reagan Watkins pitched the first 4 and 1/3 innings, allowing just two runs on five hits.
Megan Robertson (1-4) suffered the loss for Samford, giving up four runs, only one earned, on five hits in 2 and 2/3 innings. Emily Barnett allowed two runs on five hits in 3 and 1/3 innings.
Terry led the JSU offensive effort in the game, going 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored, while Wagnon had two hits.
In the final game of the day, the Gamecocks outslugged the Roadrunners behind 18 hits, five of which went for extra bases.
Fortner notched her first career four-hit game by going 4-for-5 with a double and three RBI, while sophomore Karsen Mosley homered and drove in four in the game. Junior Lizzy VanManen drove in four of her own, going 2-for-4 with a double.
JSU scored early with a first-inning run, but UTSA answered with four-straight to take a 4-1 lead in the third. That's when JSU's offense went to work, plating six in the third and four more in the fourth to take an 11-4 lead.
The Gamecocks never looked back, holding off a pair of Roadrunner threats and adding insurance late to grab the win.
Macy Bearden (2-4) earned the win in the circle for JSU. She allowed five runs on seven hits in four innings, while striking out seven along the way.
Jimmerson picked up a three-inning save, one that saw her limit UTSA's explosive offense to two runs on three hits.
Makenzie Carpenter (4-2) suffered the loss, surrendering seven runs on seven hits in less than three innings in the circle.
The Jacksonville State Invitational will conclude on Saturday with three games. UTSA and Samford will start things off at 10 a.m., and JSU will face UTSA at 12:30 p.m. and Samford at 3 p.m
ILLNOIS STATE 11, AUSTIN PEAY 4; WESTERN KENTUCKY 8, AUSTIN PEAY 4
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Austin Peay State University had its chances, Friday at the WKU Softball Complex during the opening day of the Hilltopper Spring Fling, but they left 19 runners on base during their two games in coming up short 11-4 to Illinois State and 8-4 in he nightcap to Western Kentucky.
Brooke Pfefferle would lead the Govs in the opener versus Illinois State, finishing with two hits, including her second home run of the season and driving in three, while Lexi Osowski went 3-for-3, including a double and a triple and driving in three in the WKU loss.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY 3, MURRAY STATE 1
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Murray State softball met Northern Kentucky on day one of the Coach B Classic on Friday evening. While both sides tallied seven hits apiece, the Norse would be the team that claimed the advantage on the scoreboard - defeating the Racers 3-1 at Charlotte West Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois.
It would be Jenna Veber for Murray State against Northern Kentucky's Taylor Ginther in the first-ever meeting between the two schools, as both would go on to take care of business in the circle early on – keeping the game scoreless until the third frame.
That first score would belong to the Norse, who plated the game's first run when Tatum Biddle scored from third on a ground ball hit to second base off the bat of Jordan Jenkins to give NKU a 1-0 lead in the top of the third.
As both pitchers continued to cruise in the circle, the score remained unchanged until the home half of the fifth when Murray State knotted the game at 1-1 courtesy of an RBI double from Logan Braundmeier. The extra-base hit scored Jensen Striegel after Striegel reached with a two-out single and later stole second to move into scoring position.
With the game tied at 1-1 through five complete, the Norse reclaimed the lead in their next opportunity when Ava Lawson homered with one out to give her side a 2-1 advantage in the sixth.
The Racers found themselves in a good position in the ensuing half inning, loading the bases with just one out, but saw the momentum come to a screeching halt when an inning-ending double play on the base paths brought the frame to a close.
Northern Kentucky would tack on one more insurance run in the seventh, and the Racers dropped their first game of the Coach B Classic 3-1 in their lone contest on Friday evening.
Veber (2-3) struck out three over six innings before Hannah James tossed a scoreless seventh frame for Murray State in the loss.
At the plate, Logan Braundmeier (2-3, RBI, 2B) would be responsible for driving in the lone Racer run, while Abby Shoulders (2-2, BB) also turned in a two-hit performance, reaching base three times on the evening.
The Racers will return to action on Saturday when they take on Creighton on day two of the Coach B Classic in Carbondale, Illinois. First pitch is slated for 4:45 p.m.