SUNDAY'S SCORES
@Belmont 4, Jacksonville State 3
Jacksonville State 5 , @Belmont 2
@Eastern Kentucky 4, SIUE 2
Eastern Illinois 13, @Morehead State 8
Eastern Illinois 8, Morehead State 0
BELMONT 4, JACKSONVILLE STATE 3; JACKSONVILLE STATE 5, BELMONT 2
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Jacksonville State softball team claimed the series win over Belmont on Sunday with a doubleheader split at Rose Park.
The Bruins (4-7, 1-2 Ohio Valley Conference) rallied for a 5-4 win in the first game of the day, but the Gamecocks (3-8, 2-1 OVC) held on for a 5-2 win in the finale. JSU won the series opener on Saturday.
Belmont took an early lead in the second game with a second-inning run on Cheyenne Cavanaugh's sac fly, but a three-run fourth and a two-run fifth for JSU put the Gamecocks in front.
That fourth inning saw three-straight RBI singles by the Gamecocks. Megan Fortner, Sidney Wagnon and Lauren Hunt each drove in runs on singles to give JSU its first lead of the game at 3-1.
Alexus Jimmerson doubled in Shelby Newsome to start the scoring in the fifth, and Karsen Mosley delivered a sac fly that made it a 5-1 JSU advantage.
Veltri took a run off of the Bruins' deficit in the home half of the fifth with a sac fly, but they wouldn't get anything else.
Jimmerson (1-2) earned the win after tossing the first four innings and limiting the Bruins to two runs on five hits. She walked two and struck out six before making way for Reagan Watkins, who earned the three-inning save. Watkins tossed three innings of one-hit softball in relief for her first save of the season.
Veltri (2-4) suffered the loss for Belmont after surrendering three runs on five hits in four innings of work. Kailey Brown pitched the final three innings, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks.
In the first game of the day, the Gamecocks fell to a late Belmont rally in the seventh. JSU took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh, but a three-run frame that was capped by a two-run, game-winning double by Abi Ledbetter.
The scoring started in the third, when the two teams exchanged runs. JSU got a sac fly from Shelby Newsome that made it a 1-0 game, and Alicia Veltri's RBI double in the home half of the third tied it.
The Gamecocks reclaimed the lead in the sixth, when a Jada Terry homer and an RBI single by Caroline Lively put the 3-1 advantage on the board. In the bottom of the seventh, MyKayla Spurlin drew a bases loaded hit by pitch to cut the Bruins' deficit to one and set the stage for Ledbetter's game winning hit.
Nicole Rodriguez (1-1) suffered the loss for the Gamecocks, despite striking out eight. She allowed four runs on five hits in 6 ad 2/3 innings or work. Autumn McDaniel (2-1) earned the win in relief for Belmont, tossing three innings and allowing two runs on four hits. Alex Clesi started the game and pitched the first four innings, giving up two runs on four hits.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 4, SIUE 2
RICHMOND, Ky. - Back-to-back home runs by Sammi Miller and Ariyana Miranda in the fourth inning broke a 1-1 tie and sent the Eastern Kentucky University softball team to a 4-2 victory over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Sunday at Gertrude Hood Field.
With the win, the Colonels complete the three-game sweep of the Cougars and improve to 10-3 overall and 3-0 in Ohio Valley Conference play.
Miller started the bottom of the fourth by sending a 1-2 pitch over the wall in left center. Miranda followed and with a full count drove the ball over the wall in left. Jasmine Miller made it three hits in a row with a double to left center. She moved to third on a wild pitch and then scored on a ground ball by Vianna Barron to make it a 4-1 game.
The runs in the bottom of the fourth came right after the Colonels navigated a sticky situation in the top half of the inning to keep the score tied at 1-1. Zoe Schafter led off the inning for SIUE with a double and Becca Duran followed with a single through the left side. Amber Storer singled up the middle but Schafer was thrown out trying to score by Sammi Miller in center field. Mollie Paulick struck out the next batter for the second out, but a walk loaded the bases. Paulick induced a foul ball down the first base line to end the inning and the threat.
SIUE (0-8, 0-3 OVC) added a solo home run off the bat of Schafer in the top of the seventh to set the final score. She had a 2-for-2 day with a run and two RBIs.
Sammi Miller finished 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Miranda was 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Jasmine Miller went 2-for-4 and scored twice. Paulick earned the win after getting the final two outs of the key fourth inning. She also went 2-for-3 with a RBI at the plate.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 13, MOREHEAD STATE 8; EASTERN ILLINOIS 8, MOREHEAD STATE 0
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Eastern Illinois used big innings in both games of Sunday's doubleheader as the Panthers completed a weekend sweep over Morehead State winning 13-8 and 8-0. EIU improved to 10-4 on the year, 3-0 in the OVC. Morehead State fell to 4-6, 0-3 in the OVC.
Game 1
Eastern Illinois softball scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning to win game two of the weekend series at Morehead State, 13-8, as the Panthers clinched the Ohio Valley Conference opening weekend series.
Trailing by one run heading into the sixth inning, Eastern Illinois turned to the long ball as Megan Burton and Mia Davis both connected for home runs to give the Panthers a 8-6 lead. Morehead State would tie the game at 8-8 in the bottom of the frame scoring one run on an error on a stolen base attempt while Peyton Slater drove in the tying run.
The Panthers offense responded in the top of the seventh with five runs. Hannah Cravens opened the inning with a walk. Following a single by Katie Nicholson, EIU loaded the bases on an error on a sacrifice bunt attempt. Abi Stahlhut had the first big hit of the inning with a single up the middle. Aniya Holt's sacrifice fly would push the Panthers lead to two before back-to-back RBI singles by Morgan Lewis and Burton. Cravens would draw a walk for the second time in the inning with bases loaded to account for the final RBI of the inning.
EIU opened the game with a 5-1 lead through the first three innings which included a two-run home run by Haley Mitchell in the third. Morehead State rallied to take the lead with five runs in the fifth. Peyton Jordan had a two-run double while Taylor Rhea drove home two more runs with a single.
Sydney Cammon improved to 3-0 on the season with a win in relief for EIU. Lewis was 3-for-5 while Burton, Davis and Nicholson all had two hits for EIU.
Carolyn Alincic was tagged with the loss in relief for MSU falling to 1-2. Trinity Spear had three hits to lead the Eagles in the opening game.
Game 2
In the second game it took a few innings for the Panthers offense to get going before they scored three in the fourth, and five in the fifth to win 8-0 and sweep the weekend series.
In the fourth, EIU took advantage of a Morehead State error as Stahlhut drove home the first run with a sacrifice fly scoring Cravens from third. Holt would follow with another sacrifice fly and Burton reached on an error allowing Anna Lipinski to score the third run of the inning.
Mitchell led off the fifth with a solo home run, her second blast of the day. Two more batters reached the plate chasing MSU starter Alincic (1-3) from the game.
Amber Cieplinski continued the big inning with an RBI single while Burton's 2-run single capped EIU's offense in the fifth. Cieplinksi, Nicholson and Lewis all had two hits in the night cap for EIU.
Olivia Price (2-1) scattered two hits over five shutout innings for the win.
Slater and Lennon Spicer each had hits for Morehead State.