SUNDAY'S SCORES
Tennessee Tech 10, UIC 1
Winthrop 3,
Tennessee Tech 2
Nicholls State 4,
Eastern Illinois 0
Texas Tech 7,
Southeast Missouri 1
Murray State 5, IUPUI 4
Northwestern State 6,
SIUE 5
Eastern Kentucky 8 @Campbell 3
Tennessee State 6, Grambling State 3
EASTERN KENTUCKY 8, CAMPBELL 3
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – The Eastern Kentucky University softball team knocked off Campbell University on Sunday, 8-3, to take the series over the Camels.
Eastern Kentucky (7-3) used a six run sixth inning to take a commanding 7-1 lead and pull away from Campbell.
Two walks and a hit by pitch loaded the bases with no one out to start the top of the sixth. Jasmine Miller singled up the middle to score one and give Eastern the lead, 2-1.
That is when Carly Robinson busted the game open, sending a 2-1 pitch over the left field wall for a grand slam to give EKU a 6-1 lead over Campbell. Jaelyn Sanders reached base after a Campbell error and stole third base. Zoe Mihalicz brought home Sanders with a sac fly to take the 7-1 lead.
Campbell (4-4) responded with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning but could never get any closer.
Eastern pushed an insurance run across in the top of the seventh after three-straight singles by Sammi Miller, Samantha Reynoso and Jasmine Miller.
EKU took the early lead with sac fly by Robinson in the fourth inning.
Reynoso (3-0) picked up the win in the circle, but four Colonels pitched in the contest.
Jasmine Miller went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Robinson went 1-for-3 with one home run and five RBIs.
Eastern out-hit Campbell 6-5 on the contest.
Eastern returns home to open conference play next Saturday when the Colonels host SIU Edwardsville at Gertrude Hood Field. First-pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
TEXAS TECH 7, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Southeast Missouri (2-8) concluded play at the Razorback Invitational with a 7-1 loss to Big 12 Conference member Texas Tech (5-5) Sunday at Bogle Park.
A two-run home run by Zoe Jones gave TTU a quick 2-0 advantage with two outs in the top of the first inning.
Peyton Blythe then led off the second inning with a double to left field and came around to score with the help of a sacrifice bunt and ground out by Alanna Barraza to push the Red Raiders lead to 3-0.
SEMO scored its first run in the bottom of the sixth inning to narrow TTU's margin to 3-1. Kaylee Anderson walked and touched home on a double to right by Katie Dreiling.
TTU loaded the bases in the top of the seventh and scored four more runs, all with two outs. Ellie Bailey hit a two-RBI single to left and Riley Love walked in a run. Alanna Barraza reached on an error and a pair of unearned runs ended the scoring.
Erin Edmoundson (3-2) went the distance for TTU allowing just one run on four hits. Edmoundson struck out six and walked two in seven innings.
Rachel Rook (2-5) took the loss. Rook gave up four runs on five hits in 2.1 innings. Paytience Holman, Dreiling and Marisa Davis also pitched for the Redhawks.
SEMO had four hits with Anderson, Karsyn Davis, Kimmy Wallen and Dreiling getting one each.
The Redhawks open Ohio Valley Conference play at home with a three-game series against Austin Peay next weekend.
NORTHWESTERN STATE 6, SIUE 5
MOBILE, Ala. – SIUE's Amber Storer and Ava Bieneman earned All-Tournament honors at the South Alabama Softball Tournament after the conclusion of Sunday's play.
SIUE closed out the tournament with an extra-inning contest for the third straight day. The Cougars lost to Northwestern State 6-5 in eight innings.
The Ohio Valley Conference season begins next Saturday with a three-game series at Eastern Kentucky. The schedule includes a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday followed by a 1 p.m. single game Sunday.
Storer and Bieneman each had eight hits for the weekend.
Storer hit a game-tying home run in Saturday's extra-inning contest against South Alabama.
Becca Duran's three-run home run in the top of the eighth was SIUE's offensive highlight Sunday. Northwestern State countered with four runs in the bottom half of the inning.
NICHOLLS STATE 4, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Nicholls State scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning and had those four stand up as they beat Eastern Illinois, 4-0, on Sunday in the final game of the UAB Spring Invite.
EIU ends its week long season opening road trip with a 7-4 record as the Panthers played all 11 of those games since last Sunday (Feb. 21).
Kelsey Miller opened the with a single and came around to score the first run on an RBI double by Ashlyn Reavis. Following an infield single, Kennedy Hebert connected for a two-run triple to stake the Colonels to a 3-0 lead. Hebert would come home to score on a sacrifice fly.
Jade Montgomery fell to 3-3 in the circle for the Panthers while Emily Danehower (3-1) picked up the win.
The Panthers were limited to three hits in the game, all singles by Morgan Lewis, Katie Nicholson and Hannah Cravens.
Miller, Reavis and Melise Gossen had two hits each to pace the Nicholls offense.
MURRAY STATE 5, IUPUI 4
AUBURN, Ala. - Murray State softball ended the weekend on a high note Sunday afternoon, defeating IUPUI 5-4 in their fifth and final game at the Tiger Invite in Auburn, Alabama.
While the Jaguars were the first side on the scoreboard when they posted three runs in the top of the second, the Racers would answer right back with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame.
After Lindsey Carroll and Kamryn Carcich each drew a walk to begin the inning, freshman Taylor Jackson scored them both when she laced a one-out triple to right field, cutting the Jaguar advantage to a single run through two innings of action.
The Racers would keep the momentum going in their next ups, tying the game at 3-3 with an RBI single off the bat of Carcich that scored Lily Fischer who had reached base on an error to lead off the inning.
The Jaguars would keep the back-and-forth dialogue alive, however, reclaiming their lead in the fourth when Kasie Keyes sent a run-scoring double to left center to give her side a 4-3 advantage.
Chasing a single run, Murray State stayed aggressive at the plate in the bottom half, putting up a crooked number when they captured two runs on one swing of the bat courtesy of a Logan Braundmeier two-run home run that gave the Racers their first lead of the afternoon at 5-4 through four complete.
With Jenna Veber in the circle for the Racers, the sophomore from Oswego, Illinois would face just one batter over the minimum in the final three innings as she protected the Murray State lead and propelled her side to a 5-4 victory in their final game of the weekend.
The five Racer runs came on five hits, highlighted by a two-hit performance from Taylor Jackson (2-3, 3B, 2 RBI) while Logan Braundmeier's home run was her first of the season and third of her career.
In the circle, Veber would earn the win, tossing five and one-third scoreless innings in releif with a pair of strikeouts without giving up a walk or surrendering an earned run.
The Racers will return to action on Friday when they travel to Martin, Tennessee to begin a three-game weekend series at UT Martin in their first OVC action of the year.
TENNESSEE TECH 10, UIC 1; WINTHROP 3, TENNESSEE TECH 2
ROCK HILL, S.C. – A long week with eight games came to a close for Tennessee Tech as the Golden Eagles split its action on Sunday. Tech’s bats came alive in the day’s first game, run-ruling Illinois-Chicago 9-1 in six innings. Host Winthrop closed out the Garnet/Gold Classic with a 3-2 win over Tech.
The Golden Eagles see their record change to 5-7 overall. Up next for Tech is a three-game set at Tennessee State to open Ohio Valley Conference play. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
In the day’s opener, freshman Mackenzie Fitzgerald drove in three runs as she went 2-for-4 at the plate, while Sydney Love-Baker drove in two.
Tech plated two in the first inning. Nicolle Nysted reached on an error in left field, the play allowing Love-Baker to score. With Jessie Lowery on third, Paxton Grimes put a single into right to drive in Lowery, but was thrown out at second 2-6 after a throw home.
The Golden Eagles added three runs in the second. Fitzgerald hit an RBI double to right center, sending Shelby Penning home, then a two-run error in center field off Love-Baker’s bat allowed Chandler Caldwell and Fitzgerald to score.
In the third, Fitzgerald put down another double to right center – this time a two-run two-bagger – as Carmen Betts and Penning scored.
After the Flames scored a run, Tech added some insurance in the sixth. Alexis Trimiar reached on a fielder’s choice as UIC caught Brooklin Richardson at second, but the play allowed Lowery to score. Betts then hit an RNI single, driving in Haeli Bryson.
Alyssa Arden claimed the win, allowing one run on three hits as she walked two and struck out one.
In game two, Nystead drove in both Tech runs as she went 2-for-3, while Fitzgerald was 2-for-4.
Tech scored a single run in the top of the first as Nysted hit an RBI single to left center to drive in Fitzgerald. Winthrop responded with a two-run home run, then added a third run in the bottom of the second with a leadoff home run.
Nysted led the Tech sixth off with a solo home run of her own.
Arden took the loss, allowing three runs on three hits, while walking three and striking out six.