SUNDAY'S SCORES
Austin Peay 11, IUPUI 10 (8)
Morehead State 13, Howard 6
@Hamtpon 10,
Morehead State 2 (6)
UAB 4,
UT Martin 0
@Mississippi State 6,
UT Martin 1
Boston College 9,
Eastern Illinois 0 (6)
Eastern Kentucky 2, Nicholls State 1
Tennessee State 7, Florida A&M 1
Tennessee State 5, Mississippi Valley State 1
Tennessee Tech 4, Bowling Green 0
@East Tennessee State 10,
Tennessee Tech 1
Murray State 5, Purdue Fort Wayne 2
@Southern Illinois 8,
Murray State 6 (8)
Kansas City 13,
@Southeast Missouri 12
Kansas City 2,
@Southeast Missouri 1
SIUE 5, UMBC 4
EASTERN KENTUCKY 2, NICHOLLS STATE 1
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Eastern Kentucky University softball team knocked of Nicholls State, 2-1, in extra innings to push its winning streak to 13 games on the final day of the Black & Gold Invitational in Alabama.
Eastern Kentucky’s (17-2) 13 game winning streak is the longest in the program’s history.
With one out in the top of the fifth inning, Vianna Barron sent her third home run of the season over the left field fence to break up the perfect game and give Eastern a 1-0 lead.
Nicholls (10-13) tied it up in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Melissa Gossen doubled into left field to put the tying run at the plate with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning. Nikki Whitehead followed with a single into right field and both runners advanced after an error by the right fielder to tie the game at 1-1. With the winning run at second base, Mollie Paulick retired the next two batters to leave the winning run stranded.
Do to the international tiebreaker rule each team started with a runner on second base in the eighth inning. Gabriela De La Cerda advanced Miranda Lopez to third with a sacrifice bunt. Sammi Miller brought home Lopez with a line out to center field to give Eastern a 2-1 lead.
In the bottom eighth inning, Paulick retired Nicholls in order to secure the win.
Tori Peterson started in the circle tossing five and one-third innings with two strikeouts and two hits. Paulick (9-1) picked up the win tossing the final two and two-third innings, allowing one unearned run and striking out four.
Eastern comes home for the first time this year next weekend when the Colonels host the EKU Invitational. First pitch against University of Illinois-Chicago is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on Friday.
BOSTON COLLEGE 9, EASTERN ILLINOIS
ATHENS, GA. – The Panthers wrap up the 11th Annual Bulldog Classic with a loss against Boston College. EIU lost the series against the Eagles 2-0 over the weekend. The Panthers are now 9-8 on the season before they head to Miami University Tournament on Saturday and Sunday (March 7-8).
In the game against the Eagles today the Panthers got off to a good start in the circle with Montgomery starting. Montgomery got five strikeouts and four walks in five innings. The Eagles struck first in the second inning with a two-run RBI double to take the lead.
The Panthers held Boston College to no runs until the sixth inning. Mataya got the Eagles going with a two-run RBI double. Through out the inning they would go on a score four more runs to go ahead of the Panthers 9-0 and beat the Panthers in six innings.
The Panthers were led by Hannah Cravens, Mia Davis, Haley Mitchell, and Amber Cieplinski in hits with one hit each. EIU finished the game with no runs in four hits with two errors and left six on base.
The Eagles were led by Alatorre with three hits including a double and had four RBI's. Cook had one strikeout and two walks in four innings.
The Panthers will head to Miami, Ohio for the Miami University Tournament on Saturday (March 7) and Sunday (March 8). They will face off against Green Bay at noon and then Miami (OH) at 2:30 on Saturday (March 7).
TENNESSEE TECH 4, BOWLING GREEN 0; EAST TENNESSEE STATE 1
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The last time Tennessee Tech faced Bowling Green on Feb. 14, starting pitcher Payton Gottshall struck out 17 Golden Eagles en route to a 3-1 victory.
Tech (9-7) was determined not to let that happen again. Instead, it was Alyssa Arden who proved dominant as the sophomore pitcher earned the complete game victory as she walked one, allowed a hit on a bunt and struck out a career-high 11 to take a 4-0 victory over the Falcons and avenge the earlier loss.
The Golden Eagles, however, wrapped up Sunday’s action with homestanding East Tennessee State, falling 10-1 in six innings.
As Betty Basler Field finally thawed from the wintry weather earlier this weekend, Tech finally found an answer for Gottshall as Alexis Trimiar collected the first hit in the second inning, then things started to unravel for the BGSU freshman in the third.
KaDedra Temple was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, then Sydney Love-Baker singled past short. Jessie Lowery grounded to third, but the fielder chose to erase the lead runner, keeping two on with one out. Haeli Bryson drove in the first run as she pushed a single through the right side, giving Love-Baker plenty of room to score.
In the fourth, with one down, Trimiar got her second hit with a shot up the middle, which ended up pulling the plug on Gottshall. Shelby Penning was hit by a pitch, then a ground ball moved the runners up, followed by a wild pitch allowing Trimiar to score. Love-Baker sent a ball into right field, but a fielding error allowed the Tech junior to reach and Penning to score. Love-Baker came home herself on Lowery’s triple on the next pitch.
Arden continued to mow down the Falcons with Greta L’Esperance breaking up the no-no bid in the bottom of the sixth with two down, reaching on a bunt single to the third base side.
The Tech pitcher earned her sixth win of the season, while Gottshall was on the hook for her third loss of the year. She allowed two runs on four hits, walking one and striking out six over 3 1/3 innings. Madison French worked the final 3 2/3, allowing two unearned runs on three hits, walking one and striking out two.
In the second game, Kelly Schmidt kept the Golden Eagles from putting more than one run across, while the Buccaneers pulled a play out of Tech’s playbook and put together a six-run inning in the fifth.
Bryson took the loss, allowing four runs on eight hits over 4 1/3 innings with no walks and three strikeouts. Arden came on in relief, allowing three runs on one hit – a grand slam from Kylie Toler with an inherited runner – with two walks and a strikeout in 2/3 of a frame. Kendall Durard closed out the contest, allowing three runs on two hits with two walks over one-third of a frame before ETSU enacted the run rule in the sixth.
Schmidt improved to 2-1, allowing one unearned run on six hits, walking one and striking out one.
Tech scored its lone run in the second inning as Trimiar came home to score during a 4-3 double play off Nicolle Nysted’s bat.
ETSU tied the game in the fourth, then pushed six runs across in the fifth, including the Toler grand slam. An RBI double for Andrea Sarhatt and a two-run triple for Makenna Helton ended the contest early in the sixth.
The Golden Eagles close out the Buccaneer Classic on Monday as Tech takes on Tennessee at 11 a.m., followed by a return contest against East Tennessee State at 1 p.m.
SIUE 5, UMBC 4
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Amber Storer singled to center field and drove home the game winner with two outs in the bottom of the seventh Sunday as SIUE softball completed the Purple & Gold Challenge with a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over UMBC.
Kloe Hilbrenner led off the inning with a four-pitch walk and then stole second base off lefty UMBC returning honorable mention All-American Courtney Coppersmith. After Coppersmith got the first two outs of the inning, she was replaced by right-hander Madie Leach. Storer, who was pinch hitting, then jumped on a 1-1 high and inside pitch from Leach that propelled Hilbrenner home.
The Cougars started off slow against Coppersmith offensively and defensively. The UMBC sophomore provided an RBI single in the third and a solo home run in the fifth to put the Retrievers up 3-0.
Coppersmith held SIUE scoreless for four innings and was replaced by Gillian McCarthy in the circle in the fifth.
Lexi King led off the fifth with her first collegiate home run, a blast to right field. SIUE would tie the score 3-3 in the fifth as Alana Cobb-Adams walked, stole second and scored on a double by Zoe Schafer. Abby Marlow, who hit .529 for the weekend, would drive home pinch runner Amara Wylie with a single up the middle.
SIUE grabbed its first lead in the bottom of the sixth when Conner Cutright doubled and moved to third on a wild pitch. King drove home Cutright on a sacrifice fly.
UMBC tied up the score in the top of the seventh when Julia Keffler tripled and scored off a wild pitch by King, who would earn the win by throwing the final two-plus innings in relief of Emily Ingles.
That set up the bottom of the seventh for the Cougars, which improved to 10-3. UMBC fell to 3-6.
SIUE now moves on to the Wildcat Invitational in Tucson, Arizona. During the three-day tournament beginning Friday, the Cougars will face Indiana, Boise State twice, host Arizona and South Dakota.
AUSTIN PEAY 11, IUPUI 10
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Austin Peay State University’s softball team had to rally on three different occasions versus IUPUI, Sunday at the WKU Softball Complex in the consolation game of the WKU Hilltopper Spring Fling, the last coming in extra innings as the Govs won in walk-off fashion, 11-10.
The Govs (6-10) had forced extra innings by scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning on a two-run single by Emily Harkleroad to tie the game 8-8.
But IUPUI (3-12) responded in extra innings by scoring two runs on three hits in the top of the eighth, to take their third lead of the contest.
But like the first two times the Govs found a way to answer, with Kelsey Gray and Bailey Shorter opening the bottom of the eighth with back-to-back singles, followed by a sacrifice bunt by Brooke Pfefferle to put the potential tying runs in scoring position, with one out.
Gray would then score on a wild pitch, to make it a one run game, 10-9, with Lexi Osowski tying the game two pitches later with a double to score Shorter.
Osowski would finish the game 4-for-5 at the plate, including two doubles, a home run, three runs scored and four RBIs.
After a walk to Katelyn Smith, the Jaguars would get the second out of the inning looking to force yet another extra inning, but Drew Dudley hammered a 1-2 pitch back up the middle to score Osowski with the walk-off game winner.
IUPUI had jumped on the Govs early to start the game, scoring two first inning runs, before APSU answered back with one of their own in the bottom of the inning on Shorter’s home run to open the frame.
The Jaguars would extend their lead to 4-1 with two more runs in the top of the third inning, with the Govs tying the game for the first time in the bottom of the inning on a two-run homer by Osowski after Shorter and made it 4-2 with an RBI single earlier in the inning.
IUPUI would retake the lead in the top of the fifth inning, 8-4, by scoring four runs aided by three walks and a hit batter.
Austin Peay would cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the inning, scoring twice on RBI singles by Shorter and Pfefferle to make it 8-6.
Harley Mullins (2-5) got the win for the Govs, going 6.1 innings and giving up 11 hits and six runs – only four earned – while walking one and striking out four.
UAB 4, UT MARTIN 0; MISSISSIPPI STATE 6, UT MARTIN 1
STARKVILLE, Miss. – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team dropped its final two games of The Snowman on Sunday afternoon, falling to UAB (4-0) and host Mississippi State (6-1).
The Skyhawks (12-9) were limited to just four hits on the day while facing a pair of surging offenses. The quartet of Emily Alexander, Chelsey Gore, Kallie Pickens and Paige Clark tallied the team’s lone hits. Meanwhile, their opponents hit .273 for the day with 15 hits and nine RBIs.
Erin Gallagher (6-4) was hit with a loss against UAB while appearing in relief against Mississippi State. Gallagher allowed just one earned run over seven innings of work.
Hannah Ridolfi (4-2) struggled against Mississippi State, allowing three earned runs in 1.2 innings. Seeley Layne pitched 4.1 innings of relief with three earned runs spread over the two games.
Game 20: UAB 4, UT Martin 0
UAB jumped out to an early lead in the top of the second inning. A double on the second at-bat of the inning later came around to score on a RBI single by Ashton Clem.
UT Martin could not get its bats going, tallying just two hits in the contest with both coming in the fourth inning.
The Blazers blew the game open in the top of the sixth inning with a pair of base hits and three errors. The Skyhawks committed a pair of errors early in the inning before a single by Macey Petrey scored a pair of runs. Then back-to-back batters would be hit by a pitch to load the bases to set up KK Crocker for a RBI single which pushed the lead out to four runs.
Game 21: Mississippi State 6, UT Martin 1
Mississippi State took an early advantage with a big blast in the bottom of the first inning. After a pair of runners reached base on a hit by pitch and a single to left field, Carter Spexarth drove a three-run home run over the left field wall.
UT Martin scored its first run of the day in the top of the third inning. A two-out double by Clark was followed by an infield base hit by Alexander to put the runners on the corners. From there the Skyhawks used their speed as Alexander stole second and Clark scored on an error to make it a 3-1 contest.
The Bulldogs put the game away in the bottom of the fourth inning with three more runs. A sacrifice fly and an error resulted in the first two runs of the inning. Then Spexarth tallied her fourth RBI of the contest with a single up the middle to make it a 6-1 game.
UT Martin will return to action with another contest against Mississippi State on Monday, March 1. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. and is tentatively slated to be broadcast on SEC Network +.
KANSAS CITY 13, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 12; KANSAS CITY 2, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (9-3) dropped a pair of one-run games to Kansas City (5-8) Sunday at the Southeast Softball Complex. The Redhawks fell to the Roos, 13-12, and 2-1.
SEMO let a seven-run lead slip away in a marathon game one that lasted nearly three hours.
The Redhawks scored four runs in each of the first two inning of the game to build an 8-1 advantage.
Madison Harris walked with the bases loaded and Claudia Gallo scored before Keira Hance hit a two-RBI single to left field to give SEMO a quick 4-0 lead in the first.
Rachel Anderson and Kaylee Anderson each belted two-run home runs to add to the Redhawks lead in the bottom of the second.
KC, after scoring three in the third inning, took the lead with the help of a six-run fourth.
The Roos had four hits and capitalized on an error in their big inning.
KC loaded the bases with no outs and Katherine Karnatz walked in a run. Sydney Garcia reached on a fielder's choice and Abby Sciara scored. Chyanne Onstad hit an RBI-single and Delainey Fenoglio ripped a two-RBI base hit. Onstad later touched home on a fielder's choice bunt to give the Roos a 10-9 edge.
K. Anderson tied the game with a leadoff home run to left field in the bottom half of the fourth inning.
Karnatz again gave KC the lead with a RBI-double in the fifth inning and Delainey Fenoglio hit a two-run home run in the sixth to make it 13-10 in favor of the Roos.
The Redhawks were able to get within a run on a two-out single by Rachael Donald in the bottom of the sixth, but that was as close as they would get.
Paytience Holman (1-2) fell to her second loss of the season. Holman allowed three runs and two hits in two innings.
Offensively, SEMO outhit KC, 12-10.
K. Anderson led the way by going 3-for-5 with two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored. R. Anderson followed with two hits, two runs and two RBI. Ashley Emert contributed two hits, as well.
Kailyn Packard (3-6) picked up the win in relief. Packard struck out one and gave up two runs on five hits in four innings.
Fenoglio led the Roos with three hits.
Alexis D'Ambrosio's leadoff home run in the seventh inning was the difference in KC's victory in the nightcap.
Tied, 1-1, D'Ambrosio it a low line drive that just cleared the left field wall to give the Roos the lead.
SEMO did get a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the seventh, but Packard struck out both Addison Barnouski and Madison Harris to end the game.
SEMO's only run came on Barnouski's RBI-single in the second inning.
KC had five hits and scored both of its runs on home runs.
The Redhawks finished with seven hits, including two each by R. Anderson and K. Anderson.
Rachel Rook (3-1) suffered her first loss of the season. Rook went the distance allowing two runs on five hits, walking three and striking out one.
Packard (4-6) nailed down her second win of the day. She worked seven innings, allowing just one run on seven hits. Packard also struck out five and walked one in the nightcap.
The Roos ended SEMO's nine-game winning streak.
SEMO returns to action when it heads to the Mississippi State Bulldog Slamboree on Mar. 6-8.
MOREHEAD STATE 13, HOWARD 6; HAMPTON 10, MOREHEAD STATE 2
HAMPTON, Va. - The Morehead State Softball team surpassed its win total from a season ago as it split games on Sunday at Lady Pirates Softball Stadium. The Eagles opened the final day of the Hampton Classic by defeating Howard, 13-6, before ultimately falling to the host Lady Pirates 10-2 in six innings.
The spilt decision improved the Eagles' 2020 record to 4-8 overall, a mark of improvement after finishing their 2019 campaign with three victories.
Morehead State returns to action on Wednesday with a doubleheader at Ohio-Chillicothe. The twin billing's first pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET at VA Memorial Stadium.
The Eagles will play their first home game on March 11 as they host Dayton in a two-game set beginning 1:00 p.m. at University Field.
MOREHEAD STATE 13, HOWARD 6
Junior Alexis Strother put the Eagles on the board in the top half of the first with a two-RBI base hit that plated rookie infielder Kirya Kingery and freshman outfielder Madeline Gailor. Gailor got aboard with a leadoff single through the left side and advanced to third as Kingery's first plate appearance resulted in a walk.
The Bison charged back to take the lead in the home half of the first as a leadoff double helped start a three-run frame.
Senior infielder Lindsay Anderson led off the second with a walk, advanced to second on an error during a fielder's choice which allowed sophomore Maddie Kawall to reach first, and moved up to third on a sacrifice-bunt by Gailor. With Anderon and Kawall in scoring postition, the rookie Kingery turned on a two-RBI double into right field which gave MSU a 4-3 lead.
Senior right-handed pitcher Randi Hamilton settled in after seeing Howard's three-run first by allowing no hits and giving away just one free base during the second, third, and fourth innings. – In the fifth inning, Morehead State extended its advantage as a leadoff single and second-base swipe by Kingery allowed Strother to notch a third RBI on hit up the middle to score the speedy rookie and make its lead 5-3.
Sophomore infielder Adeline Nicholson, whose 15-of-33 (.455) clip leads the team in batting this season, moved Strother to third one batter later with a double into the right-center field gap. Strother scored on the next MSU at-bat as freshman Kaylin Silcox hit into a fielder's choice, growing the Eagles lead to 6-3.
After being held hitless for three frames, Howard led off the fifth with a double which was made more damaging one batter later when Kawall misplayed a ball in left field that put runners at second and third. The Bison managed two runs thanks to two sacrifice-fly outs that plated its runners from second and third and made it a 6-5 game.
Morehead State began to pull away in the sixth by taking on three runs. The advantage grew to 8-5 when Gailor scored Kawall on an RBI-triple into center field and then scored on a sac-fly by Kingery. Strother's third hit resulted in sophomore catcher Peyton Slater scoring after a throwing error on Howard's first baseman.
The Eagles opened it up in the seventh with four more runs crossing in the final inning. RBI's by Kawall and Gailor brought in the first two runs before Kingrey's quickness on the base pass led to MSU's final two. Kingrey got aboard with a walk which led to a double-steal play brining Kawall into score. The rookie later thieved third base for her third steal of the game and then raced across home plate on a Howard wild pitch making it a 13-5 ballgame.
The Bison scored on in the seventh but left runners at the corners as a groundout to second ended the game.
Morehead State's 13 hits against the Bison are the most by the team in a game since connecting for 16 knocks on April 22, 2017, in a 10-7 win over Belmont at University Field. Batting at second and fourth in the Eagles' lineup, Kingery and Strother combined to produce 10 runs on 5-of-6 hitting. Kingery's three stolen bases are the most by an individual in a game since Kayla McGuffey stole three bags against Alcorn State on Feb. 18, 2017, during a 17-10 victory away from home. As a team, Morehead State stole six bases in the win which is the most as a team since McGuffy's three steals against Alcorn State paced the team to take eight bags in the Feb. 18, 2017 win. After recording just one out while giving up four earned runs and four hits and walk in her start on Saturday and a shaky three-run first inning Sunday, Hamilton (3-4) claimed her third win of the season in the circle. The win avenged a 10-1, five-inning, loss to Howard on the first day of the Hampton Classic in Norfolk, Va.
MOREHEAD STATE 2, HAMPTON 10 (6inn)
After a 1-2-3 inning for the Eagles in the top of the first, a leadoff walk and throwing error by Hamilton from the circle helped Hampton put two aboard for a three-run homer to give the hosts a 3-0 lead after one.
The Lady Pirates tagged on a fourth run in the second inning before the Eagles bats found life in the third. Anderson tagged a one-out single up the middle for MSU's first hit which and was followed by a Kawall single and an RBI-single off Gailor's bat that scored Anderson. On the scoring play, the Lady Pirates managed one out by catching Kawall attempting to move to third. With two outs Gailor stole third base but a fly out ended Morehead State's rally attempt.
Hampton score a pair of runs in the fourth and fifth innings to make it an 8-1 game.
Morehead State tried once again to kick off a rally in the sixth as Kingery blasted her first-career home run to center field. The solo shot turned into the only dent the Eagles could put into the Hampton lead which allowed the hosts to seal it with a two-run frame in the home half that invoked the run rule.
Anderson, a Frankfort, Ky., native, went 2-for-2 at the plate to pick up her second-career multi-hit game. The senior infielder opened the 2020 season with a two-hit performance in a win over North Carolina A&T. Kingrey's homer served as Morehead State's lone extra-base hit while Hampton went for three doubles, one triple, and two round trippers. Despite striking out a career-high tying four batters, Hamilton (3-4) sufferered her fourth loss after allowing 10 runs (9ER) on eight hits, four walks, and three wild pitches. Hampton used two pitchers which each struck out three batters and allowed five hits. Right-hander pitcher Emily Workman (1-2) recorded the win in a four-inning start.