SATURDAY'S SCORES
Austin Peay 10, IUPUI 3
Illinois State 5,
Austin Peay 4
Howard 10,
Morehead State 1 (5)
Norfolk State 10,
Morehead State 6
UT Martin 8, Alcorn State 2
UT Martin 3, UAB 2
Boston College 10,
Eastern Illinois 0
Eastern Illinois 4, Western Carolina 2
UNI 9,
Belmont 1
Stephen F. Austin 2,
Belmont 0
Eastern Kentucky 1, Soutnern Miss 0
Eastern Kentucky 5, @Alabama State 1
@Jacksonville State 4, UTSA 3
@Jacksonville State 3, Samford 2
Tennessee State 8, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 6
@Mississippi Valley State 6,
Tennessee State 5
SIUE 6, @Lipscomb 3
Indiana State 6,
SIUE 5
@Southeast Missouri 3, Kansas City 0
Murray State 10, Creighton 2
UT MARTIN 8, ALCORN STATE 2; UT MARTIN 3, UAB 2
STARKVILLE, Miss. – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team used a seventh-inning rally against UAB to sweep Day Two of The Snowman hosted by Mississippi State with wins over Alcorn State (8-2) and UAB (3-2) on Saturday.
UT Martin pushed its winning streak to three games through the first two days of the Alex Wilson Memorial Tournament. The Skyhawks posted 18 base hits while posting a team ERA of 2.00 on the day.
Six Skyhawks tallied multiple hits on the day while the trio of Kaitlyn Kelley, Kenna Garst and Paige Clark led the team with three hits each. Kelley paced the team with four RBIs on the afternoon, including the eventual game-winning two-run double to seal the comeback victory against UAB. Chelsey Gore chipped in two RBIs on the day while Shyanne Sheffield, Kallie Pickens, Garst and Clark also drove in runs.
Erin Gallagher (6-3) started against Alcorn State, striking out five and allowing two earned runs in five innings to secure the victory. Hannah Ridolfi earned the start against UAB, scattering two runs over 4.2 innings of work while Seeley Layne (2-3) picked up the victory. Layne was simply outstanding as she appeared in relief in both contests and tossed 4.1 innings of shutout action.
Game 18: UT Martin 8, Alcorn State 2
After being shutout in the matchup yesterday, Alcorn State jumped out to an early lead in the first inning. The Braves posted a two-out rally with a single by Malea Dickerson before Amari Ramsey launched a two-run home run down the left field line to take a 2-0 lead.
UT Martin chipped away at the lead in the bottom half of the inning as a leadoff double by Clark later resulted in a RBI sacrifice fly by Kelley to put the squad on the board. The Skyhawks then found the game’s equalizer in the second inning as Pickens reach on a three-base error before later scoring on a passed ball.
The Skyhawks cranked up their offense in the fourth inning as the team tallied five runs on six hits. Aalia Bivens tallied an early single while Pickens scored the senior by stroking a RBI-triple into right center. A bunt single by Sheffield later brought Pickens home while Gore and Kelley tallied back-to-back single to make it a 7-2 contest.
UT Martin put the finishing touches on its scoring outburst with a RBI-single by Garst to score Lex Rogers in the bottom of the fifth and make it an 8-2 decision.
Game 19: UT Martin 3, UAB 2
The second game of the day would remain scoreless until the Blazers struck in the bottom of the third inning. UAB would maximize on an error, a single and a walk to load the bases with two outs. Needing the big hit, the Blazers would turn to Sierra Frazier who laced a single into right field to score a pair and take a 2-0 lead.
The Skyhawks went into the seventh inning looking for some late-inning magic and found just that. An error and a single by Garst put runners on the corners with no outs. The scoring opportunity would not go to waste as Clark tallied an opposite field single down the right field line to cut the margin in half. Still trailing by a run with two players in scoring position, Kelley tallied her third hit of the day with a double to left center to clear the bases and give the Skyhawks a 3-2 lead which they would not relinquish.
UT Martin will look to cap off The Snowman with a pair of games on Sunday, March 1. The Skyhawks will square off against UAB at 10 a.m. before facing tournament host Mississippi State at 3 p.m. on SEC Network +.
BOSTON COLLEGE 10, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0; EASTERN ILLINOIS 4, WESTERN CAROLINA 2
ATHENS, GA.– The Eastern Illinois softball team splits day two of the Bulldog Classic. They fell to Boston College 10-0 then turned it around to beat Western Carolina 4-2. With that win over WCU, the Panthers swept the Cats on the weekend.
The Panthers are 9-7 heading into their final game of the weekend tomorrow as they take on Boston College for the second time at 9:30 Est.
Game One
In game one of day two Taylor Florea got the start in the circle against Boston College. Florea pitched one inning and had two earned runs score before Hannah Cravens came I and took over. Cravens had three earned runs score against her in 1.2 innings before Sydney Cammon came in.
The Boston College Eagles struck first as with back to back walk-in runs by Florea. The Eagles would go on and score four more runs in the second inning leading the Panthers 6-0. The Eagles kept the bats rolling as they scored four more runs in the third inning leading the Panthers 10-0.
The Panthers tried to rally in the fifth as they had the bases loaded with two outs in the fifth. Ultimately the Eagles won 10-0 in five innings.
The Panthers ended the game with no runs on seven hits with two errors and seven left on base. Haley Mitchell and Hannah Cravens led the Panthers with two hits each. Cravens and Cammon both had two strikeouts against the eagles to the Panthers in pitching.
The Eagles ended the game with ten runs on six hits with no errors with four left on base. Giery led the Eagles with two hits including a double. Anderson pitched all five innings against the Panthers with five strikeouts and one walk.
Game Two
In game two of day two Western Carolina struck first with a second-inning home run by Ashlyn Long into right field off of Montgomery. In the next inning Western Carolina had a fly out RBI from Hunnycut to go up 2-0 on the Panthers.
The bats started to come alive for the Panthers as Hannah Cravens homered to put the Panthers on the board. Megan Burton had an RBI single as Mia Davis scores to make the score 2-2 heading into the fourth inning.
Burton got the Panthers going again with a fly out RBI to go-ahead 3-2. Jade Montgomery had the last say as she had an RBI single to score McKinlee Miller.
The Panthers finished with four runs on seven hits and three errors and left seven on base. The Panthers were led by Cravens and Davis with two hits each including a double from both of them. Montgomery got it done in the circle with three strikeouts and one walk in seven innings pitched.
Western Carolina finished with two runs on four hits with no errors and left three on base. They were led by Long with one hit which was a home run.
UNI 9, BELMONT 1; STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 2, BELMONT 0
CONWAY, Ark. - Strong outputs offensively and defensively were not enough to lift Belmont Softball to a pair of victories on its final day at the UCA Adam Brown Memorial Shamrock Classic on Saturday. The Bruins (2-10) were held off 9-1 by Northern Iowa before being edged in the defensive duel with Stephen F. Austin, 2-0.
Game one saw the teams fall into an immediate stalemate in the first frame. UNI posted a run in its half of the opening inning but the Bruins immediately fired back. Senior Bailey Sims (Flowery Branch, Ga.) singled up the middle and was joined on base by junior Elison Ollinger (Robins, Iowa) who reached on four balls. A long single to center field by senior Brooklin Lee (Burns, Tenn.) sent the tying run over the plate for BU.
The Panthers used a two-run homer in the top of the third inning to take the lead, 3-1. The Bruins remained behind for the next two innings before UNI exploded in the top of the sixth. Fueled by a grand slam and a triple, Northern Iowa took a dramatic 9-1 lead. Despite getting a pair of runners on base, Belmont was unable to get one over the plate and fell by the same score.
In the nightcap, the second-ever game between Belmont and Stephen F. Austin was a defensive battle for the first several innings of play with neither able to get a runner over the plate. Junior Cheyenne Cavanaugh (Spring, Texas) looked the spark BU with a single and a steal in the top of the fourth but the Bruins were unable to get her home. The 0-0 stalemate remained for nearly two more innings. Suddenly, the Jacks used a two-run homerun in the bottom of the sixth to finally make a dent on the scoreboard. Belmont was unable to rally in its half of the seventh and fell, 2-0.
For the day, Lee went 3-for-5 at the plate with a double and an RBI.
Inside the circle, senior Britany Kennett (Melbourne, Australia), Lee and junior Autumn McDanel (Moravia, Iowa) all saw time. The trio combined for six strikeouts.
Belmont returns to action on Wednesday, March 4 on the road at regional foe Western Kentucky. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 1, SOUTHERN MISS 0; EASTERN ILLINOIS 5, ALABAMA STATE 1
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Eastern Kentucky University softball team pushed its winning streak to 12 games after a pair of wins on Saturday in Alabama.
Eastern beat Southern Miss in game one, 1-0, before knocking off host Alabama State in game two, 5-1.
Eastern Kentucky (16-2) used a run in the bottom of the seventh for a walk off win over the Golden Eagles.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Lou Bowers walked and Sammi Miller singled to put runners on first and second. That set up the last inning heroics. Ariyana Miranda hit a ground ball that was misplayed by the second baseman and Miranda Lopez came around from second to score the winning run.
Mollie Paulick (6-1) picked up the win in the circle tossing six and one-third innings in relief with ten strikeouts. The senior only allowed two hits. Samantha Reynoso started in the circle tossing two-thirds of an inning.
Five different Colonels picked up a hit on the contest.
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In game two, the Colonels struck for two runs in the top of the first inning and never let go of the lead.
Miller got things started with a triple into the right center gap. Miranda brought her home with a sacrifice fly to give the Eastern a 1-0 lead just two batters into the game. With two outs, Carly Robinson deposited a home run over the right center field fence to give the Colonels a 2-0 lead.
Alabama State (7-11) answered back in the bottom half of the first with their lone run of the game to cut into the EKU lead, 2-1.
In the top of the fifth inning, Bowers got things started again with a leadoff single. Gabriela De La Cerda followed suit with a single of her own to put runners on first and second with no one out. After a fielder’s choice, Miranda sent a pitch over the left center field fence to give the Colonels a 5-1 lead.
Robinson went 3-for-4 with a home run. Miranda went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBIs.
Bethany Todd started in the in the circle tossing two and one-third innings and allowing one run. Paulick tossed the final four and two-third innings with six strikeouts.
12 wins ties the longest winnin streak in program history.
Eastern wraps up its weekend in Alabama, tomorrow when the Colonels take on Nicholls with first pitch at noon.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 4, UTSA 3; JACKSONVILLE STATE 3, SAMFORD 2
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Jacksonville State used a pair of one-run victories on Saturday to close out a perfect weekend at its home tournament at University Field.
The Gamecocks (10-7) held off Texas San Antonio 4-3 to open the day and then capped the day with a 3-2 win over rival Samford. The sweep comes a day after JSU scored a combined 20 runs in wins over the same two teams and gives the home team the tournament win.
The four games saw JSU hit a combined .375 and score a total of 27 runs. That Gamecocks offense was led by sophomore Karsen Mosley's .667 batting average. The native of Saraland, Ala., homered, doubled three times, drove in six runs and stole four bases over the weekend.
In the circle, sophomore Lexi Androlevich earned her second win in as many days on Saturday and capped a weekend in which she went 2-0 with a 1.45 earned run average.
Saturday started with a nailbiter against the Roadrunners (12-8), who scored two seventh-inning runs and had the bases loaded with one out but couldn't get the tying run across. JSU junior Nicole Rodriguez (1-0) limited UTSA to a run through the first six innings before running into trouble in the seventh.
JSU scored first in the fourth inning. Maddie Clay led off with a single to left and pinch runner Lauren Hunt stole second and came in on Mosley's double to right center.
A Celeste Loughman solo homer tied the game in the fifth, but a three-run sixth gave the Gamecocks a 4-1 lead on two clutch hits. The first came from pinch hitter and sophomore Kaley Warren, who lined a two-strike pitch inside the bag at first for a two-run double. The Arab. Ala., native's first career extra-base hit broke a 1-1 tie and put JSU up for good.
Freshman Megan Fortner had the next big hit, a double into the right field corner that plated pinch-runner Hannah Brown and proved to be the game winning run.
The seventh got off to a rocky start, with a Hannah Boring leadoff single, a Madison Washington one-out walk and a single by Kindell Brooks that loaded the bases with one out. Riley Grunberg doubled in two runs and Taylor Medina walked to load them again and chase Rodriguez from the circle.
Junior Reagan Watkins came in and closed the door on the Roadrunners rally, getting a shallow fly out from Tori Villareal before catching Lauren Coerver looking at a 3-2 strike that ended the game.
Watkins earned her first save in relief of Rodriguez's gem that featured nine strikeouts. Erika Cortez (4-4) suffered the loss for UTSA, allowing four runs on six hits, while striking out 11 in six innings in the circle.
Mosely was 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI in the win, while Warren had a team-high two RBI on her big hit.
In the final game of the tournament, the Gamecocks struck early, getting two runs off Samford starter McKenna Gillespie to chase her with one out in the first. Savannah Sudduth led off with a single, stole second and scored on another Mosley double, who scored on an Alexus Jimmerson RBI single to make it a 2-0 game.
The Bulldogs (8-11) turned to Taylor DeCelles, who held JSU's bats in check and gave her team a chance to get back in it.
They scored one in the third on Lauren Jackson's first RBI single of the game and tied the game in the fifth on her second, but the Gamecocks didn't allow the score to be tied for long.
Jimmerson's second RBI base hit of the game followed Mosley's second double of the game and put the Gamecocks back on top, 3-2.
Androlevich (3-1) kept that lead in tact, working around a baserunner in each of the final two frames to close the first complete game of her career. The native of Lake Butler, Fla., struck out five and walked just one, limiting the Bulldogs to two runs on seven hits.
DeCelles (1-5) took the loss despite allowing just one run on four hits in 5 and 2/3 innings of relief work.
Mosley's two doubles and JImmerson's two RBI led the JSU offense in the game.
The Gamecocks will return to action on Friday, when they start a three-game series at Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Miss. The two teams will play a single game at 4 p.m. on Friday before wrapping up the weekend with a doubleheader at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, KANSAS CITY 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (9-1) received another strong pitching performance from Rachel Rook in a 3-0 shutout over Kansas City (3-8) Saturday at the Southeast Softball Complex.
Rook twirled her second-straight complete game shutout striking out eight and walking two in seven innings. She also gave up four hits.
Ashley Ellis gave SEMO the early lead in the bottom of the first inning when she belted her team-high seventh home run of the season. Ellis knocked in Rachel Anderson who got on base with a single to right grabbing the Redhawks a 2-0 advantage.
R. Anderson walked and then stole three bases to get SEMO its final run in the third. She stole home after Danina Marton pinch ran for Ellis to push the Redhawks lead to 3-0.
KC had the tying run at the plate in the top of the seventh, but Rook fanned Ally Vonfeldt for the final out.
Rook ran her record to 3-0 this season. She has not allowed a run in all 21 of her innings in 2020.
R. Anderson led SEMO by going 2-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored.
Defensively, right fielder Madison Harris made a diving catch in foul territory in the bottom of the fourth inning.
SEMO and KC wrap up their series with a doubleheader Sunday.
SIUE 6, LIPSCOMB 3; INDIANA STATE 6, SIUE 5
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – SIUE softball split a pair of games Saturday at the Purple & Gold Challenge.
The Cougars avenged an earlier defeat, besting host Lipscomb 6-3. SIUE was edged in the nightcap 6-5 to Indiana State.
SIUE stands at 9-3 with one game left in the Purple & Gold Challenge. The Cougars face UMBC for a rematch at noon CT Sunday.
The Cougars battled back and forth with Lipscomb. SIUE opened the scoring in the second inning after Abby Marlow doubled and later to scored on a fielder's choice by Sydney Bina.
Conner Cutright put the Cougars up 2-0 in the fourth with an RBI single.
Lipscomb tied it up 2-2 in the fourth before and again 3-3 after five innings.
SIUE took the lead for the good in the sixth as Cutright doubled home Rachael Quaritsch, who led off the inning by being hit by a pitch.
The knockout blow was a two-run homer in the seventh by Abby Marlow, her second of the season. She is now second on the team in RBIs with 13.
Emily Ingles picked up the win in relief and now 5-1.
In Saturday's second game, Indiana State scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to push past the Cougars.
Kloe Hilbrenner had three hits in the game and now has a team-leading seven game hitting streak. She belted a two-run homer in the second inning against Indiana State.
AUSTIN PEAY 10, IUPUI 3; ILLINOIS STATE 5, AUSTIN PEAY 4
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Austin Peay State University’s softball team split a pair of game, Saturday at the WKU Softball Complex in Day 2 of the Hilltopper Spring Fling, defeating IUPUI 10-3 in the morning contest, while seeing a last rally fall short in the nightcap versus Illinois State, 5-4.
The Governors (5-10) pounded out a school record 20 hits in the opener versus IUPUI (3-10) led by Emily Harkleroad’s four hits and three hits each for Lexi Osowski (two doubles) and Drew Dudley.
Shelby Harpe would also pick up a pair of hits, while driving in a team leading four runs.
Harpe would also pick up the complete-game victory, giving up six hits and three earned runs, while walking five and striking out four.
In the nightcap versus Illinois State, the Govs would never lead, giving up a run in the first, three more in the third and a final run in the sixth to go down 5-0.
But after being held to just two hits over the first six inning, the Govs bats would come to life in the top of the seventh.
Emily Moore would leadoff the inning with her second home run of the day, to get Austin Peay on the board, followed by a walk to Morgan McMahon and a singe to Kelsey Gray to bring up the top of the lineup with no outs.
After a groundout moved the runner up a base each, Harkleroad singed in pinch runner Katie Keen to make it 5-2.
A Osowski groundout scored Gray and a wild pitch allowed Harkleroad to score to cut the deficit to one, 5-4.
But that would be as close as the Govs would get as Harpe was called out on strikes to end the game.