SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Kentucky 7, SIUE 2
@Eastern Kentucky 3, SIUE 1
Murray State 3, @UT Martin 0
Murray State 10, @UT Martin 3
Jacksonville State 4, @Belmont 2
Eastern Illinois 3, @Morehead State 2
Austin Peay 4, @Southeast Missouri 3
@Southeast Missouri 8, Austin Peay 0
Tennessee Tech 3, @Tennessee State 2
Tennessee Tech 2, @Tennessee State 0
EASTERN KENTUCKY 7, SIUE 2; EASTERN KENTUCKY 3, SIUE 1
RICHMOND, Ky. - The Eastern Kentucky University softball team swept a pair of contests against SIU Edwardsville on Saturday at Gertrude Hood Field.
Head coach Jane Worthington picked up her 800th career win in the game one win over SIUE. Worthington is the 32nd active NCAA Division I softball coach to win 800 games. She is the only head coach in EKU softball history, beginning the program in 1993. Worthington has won three Ohio Valley Conference Championships and two OVC Tournament titles.
Eastern Kentucky (9-3, 2-0 OVC) defeated SIUE, 7-2, in game one before knocking off the Cougars, 3-1, in the second game.
In game one the Colonels scored three in each of the first two innings and one in the third to take a commanding lead and never looked back.
SIUE (0-7, 0-2 OVC) struck first in the top of the first inning. After Samantha Reynoso retired the first two batters via the strikeout. Zoe Schafer sent the 0-2 pitch to dead center field to give the Cougars an early lead, 1-0. Reynoso settled down after that.
The Colonels quickly struck back.
Sammi Miller got things started with a leadoff single. Miller stole second to put a runner in scoring position with two outs. Carly Robinson sent a 2-2 pitch into the left center gap to bring home Miller to tie the game at 1-1. After back-to-back walks, Vianna Barron singled down the left field line to bring home two more and give Eastern a 3-1 lead after the first inning.
In the bottom of the second, Ariyana Miranda got things started with a two-out walk. Jasmine Miller took the 0-2 pitch down the left field line to score Miranda and give EKU the 4-1 lead. Robinson busted the game open taking the 2-1 pitch over the center field fence to extend the lead to 6-1.
Zoe Mihalicz got things started in the bottom of the third with a leadoff double. After the next two batters were retired, freshman Jaelyn Sanders singled through the left side to give Eastern a 7-1 lead.
Reynoso (4-0) went the distance in the circle allowing one earned run, two hits and striking out a career-high 10.
Robinson went 3-for-3 with one home run and three RBIs. Barron was 1-for-4 with two RBIs.
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In game two, the Colonels struck for one in the first and two in the third and that was more than enough for Tori Peterson in the circle.
Miranda got hit by a pitch and a Robinson walk put runners on first and second with two outs. Mihalicz singled up the middle off the shortstop’s glove to bring home Miranda to give Eastern the early 1-0 lead.
EKU extended its lead in the bottom of the third. Sammi Miller started things off sending a 1-0 pitch into the right center gap for a leadoff triple. Two pitches later, Miranda took a 1-0 pitch over the right field fence to give the Colonels a 3-0 lead.
The Cougars pushed an unearned run across in the fourth but could never get any closer.
Peterson (3-0) went the distance in the circle allowing one unearned run, scattering six hits with six strikeouts.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 4, BELMONT 2
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Recap coming soon.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, MOREHEAD STATE 2
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Jade Montgomery had five strikeouts and allowed just two unearned runs on Saturday afternoon as Eastern Illinois won its Ohio Valley Conference opener 5-2 at Morehead State. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Sunday to wrap up the series.
The Panthers provided Montgomery some offense to pitch behind early in the contest. After three straight walks in the first to Megan Burton, Mia Davis and Haley Mitchell; Hannah Cravens drove home the first run of the game for EIU.
Burton would add to the damage in the second as she connected for a three-run home run scoring Morgan Lewis and Abby Nicholson who both reached on singles.
The long ball would continue for EIU in the third as Mitchell connected for a solo blast, the 18th home run of the season hit by the Panthers.
Morehead State would cut into the Panthers lead in the fourth as Lennon Spicer had a two-run single with two outs after the inning was extended by an EIU error. Spicer led Morehead State with two hits. She was also the pitcher of record for the Eagles falling to 3-3 on the year.
Burton and Mitchell both led EIU at the plate with 2-for-3 days while Montgomery improved to 4-3 in the circle this season.
EIU moved to 8-4 overall, 1-0 in the OVC as it was the first conference win for second year head coach Tara Archibald. Last season EIU did not start OVC play prior to the COVID-19 shutdown. Morehead State fell to 4-4, 0-1 in the OVC.
AUSTIN PEAY 4, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0; SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 8, AUSTIN PEAY 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Rachel Rook pitched a one-hit six-inning shutout with six strikeouts to lead Southeast Missouri (4-9, 2-1) to an Ohio Valley Conference opening series win over Austin Peay (6-4, 1-2) Saturday at the Southeast Softball Complex.
SEMO split a doubleheader with the Governors, winning the nightcap, 8-0, in five innings after dropping game one, 4-3.
Rook (3-5) put together a masterful performance in the circle. She retired the first eight hitters she faced and only three Governors reached base against her.
Rook no-hit APSU for 4.2 innings until Kendyl Weinzapfel recorded APSU's only hit on a single to left. She retired 18 of the 21 hitters she faced and retired the Governors in order in four of her innings.
SEMO held a 2-0 lead after five innings before putting up six runs in the bottom of the sixth to finish off APSU in the shortened contest.
The bases were full of Andersons with no outs to start the sixth when Jillian doubled, Rachel walked and Kaylee singled to left. Katie Dreiling followed with a single and J. Anderson scored. Ashley Ellis scored R. Anderson on an infield hit.
Shortly after a pitching change, Alyson Tucker was hit by a pitch. A two-RBI single by Leaha Wininger came after that allowing both Austine Pauley and Kelby Robinson to score. Kynzie Wrigley then ended the game with a walk off single to left field.
SEMO outhit APSU, 13-1, with eight different Redhawks getting hits. Wrigley and J. Anderson paved the way with three hits apiece. K. Anderson, who hit her team-high fourth home run of the season in game one, followed with two hits. The 13 hits marked a new season-high.
A four-run third inning was the difference in the Governors 4-3 game one victory.
Down, 2-0, APSU capitalized on a pair of errors and used two hits to grab a two-run advantage.
K. Anderson led off the bottom of the seventh with a home run to left field to get SEMO within a run, but Harley Mullins got three-straight outs to pick up her second save.
Kelsy Gross (3-0) picked up the win and Paytience Holman (0-4) took the loss. Holman struck out four and walked three, while allowing four runs on five hits in 5.1 innings.
R. Anderson (2), K. Anderson (2) and Dreiling (2) teamed up for six of the Redhawks nine hits.
MURRAY STATE 3, UT MARTIN 0; MURRAY STATE 10, UT MARTIN 3
MARTIN, Tenn. - Recap coming soon.
TENNESSEE TECH 3, TENNESSEE STATE 2; TENNESSEE TECH 2, TENNESSEE STATE 0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - One weekend in the books for the Tennessee Tech softball team and the Golden Eagles are standing in first place in the Ohio Valley Conference.
There’s still a long way to go in the 2021 campaign, but the Golden Eagles started things off on the right foot, earning a three-game sweep over Tennessee State.
Tech (8-7 overall, 3-0 OVC) host Southeast Missouri next weekend, who went 2-1 in the first conference series against Austin Peay.
Haeli Bryson (3-0) and Kendall Durard (1-2) pitched the Golden Eagles to victory, the latter in a complete-game shutout, as Tech defeated the Tigers 3-2 in game one, then 2-0 in the night cap. Bryson went the distance, allowing two runs – one earned – on six hits as she walked none and struck out six. Durard pitched all seven, yielding just three hits as she walked two and struck out five.
The Tech pitchers outdueled Raven Loveless (2-4), who allowed three runs on 10 hits, walking two and striking out six, and Lauren Powell (2-3), who allowed two runs – both unearned – on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
In game one, Nicolle Nysted, Bryson and Alexis Trimiar picked up an RBI each, while Mackenzie Fitzgerald, Nysted and Trimiar went 2-for-4 at the plate.
Tech scored two runs right off the bat in the first inning as Fitzgerald led off with a single, then advanced to third on consecutive grounders from Lowery and Sydney Love-Baker. Nysted put a double down the right field line to drive in the first, then Bryson followed it up with an RBI single.
TSU added a single run in the fourth with an RBI double, but Tech picked the run back up in the fifth as Love-Baker and Nysted reached on back-to-back singles, then Bryson walked on a 3-1 pitch to load the bases. Trimiar grounded into a fielder’s choice at short, reaching as the Tigers’ defense took out pinch-runner Brooklin Richardson at third, but enough to get Love-Baker home to score.
The Tigers plated one more in the bottom of the seventh on a throwing error off a single, but Bryson coaxed a pop-up to short to end the contest.
Tech had opportunities for more, but stranded 11 base-runners in the game.
In game two, Bryson was the only multi-hit batter, going 2-for-3 at the plate. The Golden Eagles collected both of its runs in the contest in the fifth as Shelby Penning reached on an error at third, then stole second with a Carmen Betts single to second driving in the run. Hannah Richter came in to run for Betts, stealing second and third and scoring on the latter steal as a throwing error from the catcher gave her room to come home.
Tech stranded six base runners in the contest, Tennessee State left five.