WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
@Miami (Ohio) 15,
Eastern Kentukcy 2
Southeast Missouri 5, Southern Illinois 0
@Kentucky 13,
Morehead State 1
MIAMI (OHIO) 15, EASTERN KENTUCKY 2
OXFORD, Ohio - The Eastern Kentucky University softball team fell to Miami (Ohio), 15-2, on Wednesday afternoon in Oxford.
Miami (Ohio) (17-6, 8-0 MAC) scored four runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back.
The Redhawks only managed one hit in the bottom of the first, but it was a big one. A lead off hit by pitch, an EKU error, and a walk loaded the bases in the bottom of the first with no one out. Adriana Barlow delivered, taking a 1-2 pitch over the fence to give the Redhawks a 4-0 advantage.
Miami (Ohio) pushed one across in the second and six across on two more home runs in the third to take an 11-0 lead.
Eastern Kentucky (18-9, 10-4 OVC) left a runner stranded in each of the first three innings but could never push anything across.
Vianna Barron got things started in the top of the fourth with a hit by pitch. Mollie Paulick brought home Barron with a double to right center. Paulick later scored on a wild pitch.
Miami (Ohio) hit four home runs on the contest.
Paulick went 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI. Sammi Miller, Ariyana Miranda and Samantha Reynoso each had a hit.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 5, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Rachel Rook pitched a two-hit shutout with nine strikeouts to lead Southeast Missouri (15-10) to a 5-0 victory over Southern Illinois (23-6) Wednesday afternoon at the Southeast Softball Complex.
SEMO and SIU split a home-and-home series this season as today's meeting marked the 95th between the teams. The Redhawks shutout the Salukis for the first time since in 20 years. SEMO last blanked SIU, 4-0, on Mar. 20, 2001.
With Rook again dominating in the circle, SEMO gave her an early lead in the bottom of the first inning.
All nine SEMO hitters came to the plate. Kynzie Wrigley walked and went to third Rachel Anderson's ensuing single and an error. Katie Dreiling and Kaylee Anderson each singled home a run before another error allowed two more unearned runs giving the Redhawks a 4-0 advantage.
Karsyn Davis, who reached on a fielder's choice, scored the Redhawks final run on a two-out single by Jillian Anderson in the sixth inning.
Rook no-hit SIU through four innings before Elizabeth Warwick's leadoff single in the top of the fifth. She improved her record to 10-5 this year and posted the second 10-win season of her career. Rook leads the Ohio Valley Conference in wins.
Additionally, Rook threw the 13th complete game and eighth shutout of her career.
Madi Eberle (7-4) suffered the loss. Eberle gave up four runs on four hits, walked three and struck out one in 1.1 innings.
SEMO outhit SIU, 9-2. A freshman, Dreiling led the way by going 3-for-4 with an RBI. R. Anderson broke the school's all-time career runs record with her run in the first inning. She now has 162 runs scored and surpassed Michelle Summers (161, 2005-08) for the new mark.
Maddy Vermejan and Warwick had the Salukis quiet two hits.
KENTUCKY 13, MORHEAD STATE 1
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Morehead State was prepared for a tough battle against #7 Kentucky and got just that as the Wildcats put up 13 runs in head coach Samantha Jones' return to her alma mater. In the first game played between these teams since 2012, Kentucky came out early with seven runs in the first and never looked back, defeating the Eagles 13-1 in five innings.
MSU was led at the plate by junior catcher Peyton Slater as she accounted for two of MSU's four hits on the night. The two base-knocks tie a season-high for Slater after having previously done so against Eastern Illinois and Kentucky State.
CJ Alincic and Kelsey Perkins combined to pitch 4.0 innings in the circle while striking out one Wildcat apiece.