SUNDAY'S SCORES
Austin Peay 8, @Eastern Illinois 6
Tennessee Tech 3, @Morehead State 1
Tennessee Tech 7, @Morehead State 5
Murray State 5, @SIUE 4
Jacksonville State 5, @Eastern Kentucky 4 (9)
Southeast Missouri 8, @Belmont 4
@UT Martin 9, Tennessee State 2
AUSTIN PEAY 8, EASTERN ILLINOIS 6
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Austin Peay State University scored eight runs in the sixth inning versus Eastern Illinois, Sunday morning at Williams Field, to overcome a five-run deficit on its way to an 8-6 come-from-behind win over the Ohio Valley Conference co-leader.
The Govs (10-6, 5-4 OVC) sent 11 hitters to the plate in scoring its eight runs, starting with a single by Bailey Shorter to get things going, followed by Kendyl Weinzapfel reaching on an error and Emily Harkleroad being hit by a pitch to load the bases, with no outs.
That brought up the Govs RBI leader Kelsey Gross, who hammered the first pitch she saw down the left field line to score Shorter and Weinzapfel for the first two runs of the day for APSU.
Brett Jackson followed with an infield single, her third hit of the day, to score Harkleroad, to cut the EIU in half, 6-3.
Drew Dudley would then draw a walk to re-load the bases, with Maddie Boykin following with her first RBI of the season, scoring pinch runner Emily Moore on a fielder's choice.
A wild pitch would allow pincher runners Kaitlyn Smith and Mea Clark to move to second and third, followed by a walk to Alyssa Archuleta to load the bases once again for the Govs.
After fielder's choice by EIU, for the second out of the inning, Shorter blasted a ball to the fence in straight away center for a three-run triple, to give the Govs the lead 7-5, then score on the same play when the relay throw to third went into the EIU dugout, making it 8-5 Govs.
That would be more than enough runs for Govs relief pitcher Jordan Benefiel (3-1) who give up just one run over her 2.1 innings of work, including retiring the final five Panther hitters she faced.
MURRAY STATE 5, SIUE 4
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Murray State rallied for four runs in the seventh and slipped past SIUE 5-4 in Ohio Valley Conference softball action at Cougar Field.
Murray State improved to 10-14 overall and 7-2 in the OVC while SIUE dropped to 2-12 overall and 2-7 in the OVC.
Bailley Concatto led the Cougar offense with RBIs in the third inning and the sixth inning. She also scored in the sixth on an infield base hit by Amber Storer.
Concatto joined Alana Cobb-Adams with two hits each. SIUE outhit the Racers 8-6.
The Racers scored four times in the seventh with Sierra Gilmore providing the go-ahead RBI on a sacrifice fly that scored Logan Braundmeier.
SIUE came back with one run in the bottom of the seventh when Cobb-Adams doubled home Micah Arps, but Murray State pitcher Jenna Veber held off SIUE to earn the win. She is now 3-6. Mia Haynes took the loss, her first of the season, for the Cougars.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 5, EASTERN KENTUCKY 4
RICHMOND, Ky. - Jada Terry drove in three runs, including the game winning run in the ninth inning, to lift the Jacksonville State softball team to a 5-4 win in the final game of its three-game series on Sunday.
Terry, a senior from Trinity, Ala., was 3-for-4 with a two-run home run in the third inning to give JSU an early lead and then gave the Gamecocks (5-13, 4-5 OVC) the lead for good with her ninth-inning RBI single to left.
The Colonels (14-7, 6-3 OVC) loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but Hannah Brown was able to hold off the threat and hold on for her first win of the season.
After Reagan Watkins pitched the first three innings and allowed four runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts, Brown (1-1) entered the circle and tossed the final six innings. She held the Colonels off the scoreboard an allowed just three hits in the win.
Tori Peterson, who earned both wins for EKU in Saturday's doubleheader, suffered the loss in relief on Sunday. She pitched five innings, surrendering two runs on three hits, while walking two and striking out two.
The Colonels took an early lead in the first inning on a Carly Robinson RBI double, but JSU tied it in the second on a Karsen Mosley solo homer to left.
Terry's third-inning homer made it a 3-1 JSU lead, but a third-inning two-run homer from Robinson tied it and a sac fly from Kara Gunter gave EKU a 4-3 lead.
JSU tied it in the seventh, when Savannah Sudduth, who was 2-for-4 in the game, led off the frame with an infield single before moving around the bags and scoring the tying run on a Peterson wild pitch.
Keeli Bobbitt reached on a fielder's choice in the ninth and moved to second on Shelby Newsome's two-out single to left. She scored from there when Terry laced a 2-2- pitch into left.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 8, BELMONT 4
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Rachel Anderson with 3-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and three RBI, and Southeast Missouri (10-10, 8-1) pounded out 14 hits to complete a series sweep with an 8-4 victory over Belmont (6-12, 2-7) Sunday.
After scoring early in the top of the first, SEMO used a three-run fourth inning and tacked on four more runs in the sixth to bury the Bruins.
Jillian Anderson's first career triple got the Redhawks going from the start. Anderson later scored the first run of the game after Kaylee Anderson hit into a double play in the top of the first inning.
A sacrifice fly by Kynzie Wrigley and back-to-back doubles to left center by J. Anderson and R. Anderson accounted for the runs in the fourth inning as SEMO extended its lead to 4-0.
Belmont cut SEMO's lead in half when it scored twice in the bottom of the fifth, but the Redhawks immediately answered.
Wrigley started off the sixth inning with a walk and stole second. After J. Anderson walked, R. Anderson hit her second double to score both Wrigley and J. Anderson. R Anderson touched home on a base hit by K. Anderson, who scored on a base knock by Chelsy Pena pushing the Redhawks lead to 8-2.
The Bruins managed to put up two more tallies in the bottom of the sixth to make it a four-run game, but that was as close as they would get.
Rachel Rook (7-5) no-hit Belmont for four innings retiring 12 of the first 13 hitters she faced. Rook started be sitting down nine Bruin hitters in a row and added six strikeouts in four innings.
Marisa Davis came on to pitch the final three innings en route to picking up her third save.
SEMO outhit Belmont, 14-7, and recorded a season-high in the hits column.
J. Anderson and Pauley also joined R. Anderson with multiple hits. J. Anderson went 2-for-3 with a double, triple, three runs and one RBI, while Pauley was 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Seven other Redhawks added a hit.
SEMO completed its second-straight series sweep and has won seven Ohio Valley Conference games in a row.
TENNESSEE TECH 3, MOREHEAD STATE 1; TENNESSEE TECH 7, MOREHEAD STATE 5
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Haeli Bryson helped her own cause on Sunday as she hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning to break a 5-5 tie in game two, then pitched Tennessee Tech to victory, earning her second victory of the day as the Golden Eagles took both ends of the doubleheader at Morehead State.
Tech (10-11, 5-3 Ohio Valley Conference) won game one 3-1, then claimed the 7-5 victory in the nightcap.
In game one, Bryson went the distance, allowing just one run on two hits as she walked none and struck out five. In the second contest, she worked the final three innings, pitching hitless and scoreless ball as she yielded just one walk and struck out another to improve to 5-1 on the year.
Nicolle Nysted led the Golden Eagles with four RBI on the day – a solo homer in game one, then a three-run shot to left center in the opening frame of game two, bringing Mackenzie Fitzgerald and Jessie Lowery along for the ride.
Tech struck first in the third inning of the day's opener as Nysted's first homer gave the Golden Eagles the lead. Morehead evened the game up in the bottom of the fourth, scoring a run on a double, but that proved to be it in the contest for the homestanding Eagles.
Tech quickly responded in the fifth as Nysted and Fitzgerald delivered back-to-back singles, then Raleigh Lewis drove in Nysted's pinch-runner, Amanda Phy, on a grounder to second. Carmen Betts took a walk, then stole second, while an error at short off Beth McCulley's grounder allowed Fitzgerald to score, but the Eagles threw Betts out at the plate on an 8-2 putout.
The Golden Eagles had nine hits, with Lowery, Nysted and Fitzgerald picking up two each. Tech also stranded 10 batters in the contest.
Game two was a close one as Tech collected seven hits to Morehead's five, Nysted the only multi-hit batter for Tech with two safeties. In addition to Bryson's two RBI and Nysted's three RBI on their home runs, McCulley also picked up two RBI in the victory.
Tech quickly plated three in the first as Lowery drew a walk and Fitzgerald hit a single to short. Nysted hit the three-run home run to take the lead, but Morehead tied it up in the bottom of the first with its own three-run homer.
The Golden Eagles retook the lead in the third, driving in two. Fitzgerald drew a walk, then stole both second and third. Nysted also claimed a free pass, as did Sydney Love-Baker to load the bases. McCulley stood in and put a two-run double into left field. Love-Baker tried to take home on Lewis' sacrifice bunt try, but the Tech shortstop was caught in a 1-2 putout.
Morehead claimed one run in its third, scoring on a single up the middle. But, in the fifth, the Eagles threatened, loading the bases on a walk, a single to short and a bunt single. Tech brought in Bryson to pitch and the first batter reached on a fielder's choice, but not before Betts and Nysted erased the lead runner on a 5-3 combo. Bryson coaxed a popout to Alexis Trimiar, but a wild pitch allowed a run to cross and tie the game. She was able to get out of the frame with no more damage, getting the third out on a grounder back to the circle.
With the game knotted, KaDedra Temple was hit by a pitch, then Bryson went yard, putting Tech up by two. Morehead got a runner in the sixth on an error, but the runner was thrown out at second stealing as Nysted and Love-Baker caught the robber.
Kendall Durard got the start for Tech, working the first four frames. She allowed five runs in five hits, walking two in the process.
UT MARTIN 9, TENNESSEE STATE 2
MARTIN, Tenn. - Recap coming soon.