SUNDAY'S SCORES
Belmont 9, Boston College 3
East Tennessee State 6,
Morehead State 1
Gardner Webb 3,
Morehead State 1
@Chattanooga 8,
SIUE 6
Austin Peay 2, FGCU 1
Radford 5,
Tennessee Tech 4
Eastern Illinois 4, Alabama A&M 0
Eastern Illinois 9, Jackson State 2
@Western Kentucky 5,
Southeast Missouri 4
Murray State 8, @UAB 4 (12)
@Tennessee State 9, IUPUI 0
AUSTIN PEAY 2, FGCU 1
FORT MYERS, Fla. - Austin Peay State University’s softball team got a gem of a pitching effort from Jordan Benefiel, Sunday at the Florida Gulf Coast University Softball Complex, as the Govs defeated Florida Gulf Coast, 2-1, to close out the FGCU Invitation with three straight wins.
Benefiel, a sophomore right-hander, limited the Eagles to one run, while scattering seven hits, walking one and striking out seven, as she improved her record to 4-1 on the season.
Offensively the Govs (7-3) would strike first, as Mea Clark hit her second home run of the season, with one out in the top of the second inning, off FGCU (5-5) starter Ally Hulme.
The Eagles would tie the game in the bottom of the fifth, 1-1, with a home run of their own, but it would be the Govs that would strike last.
In the top of the sixth inning, Bailey Shorter opened the inning with a single into right-center field, advance to second on a wild pitch, and after a walk to Megan Hodum, move to third on a walk to Lexi Osowski, bring up Brooke Pfefferle with the bases loaded and no outs.
Pfefferle would answer the challenge with a deep fly ball to center field, scoring Shorter with what turned out to be the game-winning run.
Florida Gulf Coast would threaten in both the six and seventh innings, getting runners into scoring position, but Benefiel and the Govs defense was up to the challenge hold the Eagles off the scoreboard for the final two innings and sealing away the 2-1 victory.
WESTERN KENTUCKY 5, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 4
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Western Kentucky (8-1) overcame a four-run deficit by scoring five in the bottom of the sixth inning to come-from-behind and edge Southeast Missouri (5-5), 5-4, Sunday. WKU won its own Hilltopper Classic with the victory.
After both teams were scoreless through three innings, SEMO took the game's first lead with a four-run, four-hit top of the fourth.
The Redhawks loaded the bases and Tori Bradley scored the first run of the contest on a single by Chelsy Pena. On the next play, Paige Halliwill cleared the bases on a double to left center giving SEMO a 4-0 advantage as all runs were unearned since there was also an error earlier in the inning.
A two-RBI single by Bailey Curry got the Hilltoppers going with one out in the bottom of the sixth. After Marisa Davis relieved starter Rachel Rook, Brylee Hage made it one-run game with a base hit up the middle. Following another pitching change where Rook re-entered for Davis, nine-hole hitter Kennedy Foote knocked in two runs on a sacrifice fly putting WKU ahead, 5-4.
Shelby Nunn retired SEMO in order with three-straight groundball outs in the top of the seventh to pick up the complete game win. Nunn struck out five, walked one and allowed five hits in seven innings.
Rook (4-2) suffered the loss. She struck out three, walked two and allowed four runs on eight hits in six frames.
SEMO had five hits, including four in its big fourth inning. Alyson Tucker, Aubrie Shore, Bradley, Pena and Halliwill each had a hit.
Taylor Davis went 3-for-3 with a run scored and Taylor Sanders followed with two hits and a run. WKU finished with nine hits.
SEMO returns to action at the Arkansas Razorback Invitational Feb. 25-27.
BELMONT 9, BOSTON COLLEGE 3
FORT MYERS, Fla. - Belmont Softball defeated Boston College, 9-3, Sunday in Day 3 of the Florida Gulf Coast Invitational.
The Bruins went 3-2 on the weekend, with a sweep of the ACC Eagles, a season-opening win over Memphis and a pair of narrow one-run setbacks to the host Eagles.
After a scoreless first two innings, Belmont pounced in the third.
Elison Ollinger reached first on a single up the middle before advancing to second as Baie Ensio was hit by a pitch.
Abi Ledbetter followed with an RBI single to score Ollinger and give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. Kristen Green followed with her first home run of the season, a 3-run blast to extend the Bruin advantage to 4-0.
After Nicole Giery got Boston College on the board, Belmont responded with a five-run sixth inning.
Alicia Veltri opened with a leadoff double to center field. After Indy Cockrill entered to pinch run, Emma Barnes laced an RBI double to extend the Belmont lead to 5-1.
Emily Cockrill provided an RBI single before Cheyenne Cavanaugh continued the big inning with a two RBI single, scoring Cockrill and Gabrielle Givers. Green punctuated the six-hit frame with an RBI single of her own.
Veltri gave up one earned run in four innings on the mound to earn the victory.
The Bruins head to Mississippi State to compete in The Snowman. In Starkville the Bruins will face Mississippi State, Longwood, and South Alabama.
CHATTANOOGA 8, SIUE 6
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - SIUE softball scored six unanswered runs in the fourth and fifth innings Sunday but dropped an 8-6 decision to Chattanooga at Warner Park.
SIUE fell to 3-7 for the season while Chattanooga improved to 4-5.
Grace Lueke and Piper Montgomery both hit solo home runs in the fourth inning.
SIUE rallied for four runs in the fifth, including RBIs from Lauren Yslava and Montgomery.
Chattanooga used three pitcher en route to its victory. The Mocs scored in each of the first three innings, including a five-run third inning.
The Cougars next head to the Hub City Challenge Feb. 25-27 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. SIUE faces Evansville, Southern Mississippi, and Alcorn State during the tournament.
RADFORD 5, TENNESSEE TECH 4
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The Tennessee Tech softball team lost a heartbreaker on Sunday afternoon to close out the Chattanooga Challenge as the Golden Eagles took the lead in the top of the seventh inning, only to see Radford dash their hopes for the win with a walk-off home run to fall to the Highlanders 5-4.
Tech (7-3) will return home to take on Northern Iowa for a midweek contest to open the season’s action at Tech Softball Field on Wednesday, weather permitting. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m. and admission is free.
Mackenzie Fitzgerald went 3-for-4 to lead the Golden Eagles, collecting one of the team’s two RBI in the contest. Carmen Betts and Abby Buettner had the other two hits for the Tech nine.
Starting pitcher Haeli Bryson pitched three scoreless innings before the Highlanders were able to strike. Radford hit three home runs in the contest – the first two in the home half of the fourth as Madison Canady and Jordan Moss went yard to end Bryson’s day.
The Tech hurler allowed two runs on three hits, walking none and striking out three. Tyler Erwin came on in relief, throwing the final 2 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits with two walks and a strikeout.
Tech got one of those runs back in the sixth as Betts hit a two-out single up the middle to drive in Fitzgerald, but Radford got another run in the home half of the frame with Cassi Barbato picking up an RBI single.
In the seventh, Fitzgerald drove in Brooklin Richardson on a single to center field, then a wild pitch and a throwing error allowed Shelby Penning and Fitzgerald to score to take a 4-3 lead going to the bottom of the seventh.
Erwin coaxed a flyout for the first out then yielded a walk. Cori McMillan ended the game though, hitting a two-run home run to left field.
Jessie Marvin claimed the victory for Radford, giving up four runs – three earned – on five hits, while walking two and striking out six.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 4, ALABAMA A&M 0; EASTERN ILLINOIS 9, JACKSON STATE 2
VICKSBURG, Miss. - Eastern Illinois softball had a pair of solid pitching performances on Sunday to close out play in the River City Classic II Tournament with a pair of wins.
Tieghan Morio threw just the seventh no-hitter in school history in the opener as EIU beat Alabama A&M 4-0. In the second game EIU blew open a tight game with five runs in the seventh to beat Jackson State 9-2.
EIU went 5-1 in the weekend event improving to 6-4 on the season.
EIU 4, Alabama A&M 0
Morio worked seven strong innings improving to 1-1 on the season as she allowed five Alabama A&M players to reach base. The Bulldogs main scoring threat came in the fourth as the leadoff batter reached on an error. The threat was erased at the plate later in the inning as EIU was leading 4-0 in the game at the time. Alabama A&M had two runners reach via walk and two on hit-by-pitch. Morio had six strikeouts.
EIU’s run production came early in the game as they took advantage of a Bulldogs error. Morgan Lewis reached on an error and scored on a Hannah Cravens two-run home run in the first.
EIU added two more unearned runs in the second with Lewis and Jaylen Prichard both scoring.
The Panthers were limited to just three hits in the game with Lewis, Cravens and Megan Burton all collecting hits.
EIU 9, JACKSON STATE 2
In the final game of the tournament, EIU jumped out to an early lead over Jackson State with Riley Dittmar driving home Lewis with the first of her two doubles in the game.
Dittmar would drive home two more in the top of the fifth with her second double as she went 3-for-4 at the plate. Kendall Fields drove in the final run of the inning with an RBI single.
Jackson State cut the EIU lead in half in the bottom of the fifth scoring two unearned runs against relief pitcher Rachel Kaufman. Kaufman would work the final three innings of the game to pick up her first save of the year. Alexa Rehmeier was credited with the win improving to 4-0 on the season
The Panthers put the game out of reach in the seventh scoring five runs. Aniya Holt and Maddie Swart both drove home two runs in the inning. Swart was 2-for-3 in the game, one of two EIU players with multiple hits.
TENNESSEE STATE 9, IUPUI 0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee State softball team earned a mercy-rule victory over IUPUI, 9-0, on day three of the Roar City Invitational.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
BOT 1ST: The Tigers' sparkplug, Jasmine Brown, led off the game with a bunt single and stole second. Peyton Fointno reached on a throwing error which allowed Brown to score from second. || TSU, 1-0
BOT 3RD: Brown led off the third inning with a free-pass and advanced into scoring position with her second stolen base of the day. After a walk to Lauren Farias, Fointno moved the runners with a sacrifice bunt. A wild pitch allowed Brown to score and extend the Tigers' lead. Anayah Baker registered a sacrifice fly for her team-leading sixth RBI. || TSU, 3-0
BOT 4TH: Mikayla Duke singled to left and scored on an RBI double from Ivory Jones. Brown reached base for her third time of the day with an RBI single. IUPUI attempted a back-pick with runners on first and second and committed a throwing error to advance the runners into scoring position. Fointno laid down a perfect bunt for a suicide squeeze to score Brown. Freshman, Ryla Traylor, increased the advantage with an RBI single to left field. Baker smacked a single to center field for her second RBI of the day. She came around to score after an error by the Jaguars' third basemen. || TSU, 9-0
Caitlyn Manus tossed her second shutout of the season, as she's allowed two earned runs in 18.2 innings.
Jasmine Brown went 2-for-2 with three runs scored, a walk, two stolen bases and an RBI.
TSU's No. 8 and No. 9 hitters, Mikayla Duke and Ivory Jones, combined for four hits and two runs scored.
Anayah Baker drove in two runs, as she leads the team with seven RBI.
Lauren Farias has recorded a base hit in eight of nine games.
Brown's logged multiple hits in back-to-back games, totaling four multi-hit games in nine contests.
Tennessee State's won consecutive games at Tiger Field for the first time since Feb. 22-23, 2020
Tennessee State is set to hit the road for the next few weeks as they will travel to College Station, Texas for the Reveille Classic and Gainesville, Florida for the Bubly Invitational.