MONDAY'S SCORES
@Tennessee Tech 11, Bellarmine 3 (5)
@Tennessee Tech 7, Indiana State 4
Eastern Illnois 3, Northern Illinois 1
@Murray State 7, St. Thomas 0
@Murray State 2, Western Illinois 0
SIUE 2, Northern Illinois 1
@Southern Illinois 9,
SIUE 4
@Kansas 8,
Southeast Missouri 0
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 1
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Behind a strong pitching performance by Tieghan Morio and some timely hitting, Eastern Illinois softball won its fourth straight game as the Panthers closed out the SIU Saluki Invite with a 3-1 win over Northern Illinois on Monday morning.
Morio pitched all seven innings coming out for just one batter as she improved to 3-3 on the season. She allowed six hits with one earned run and six strikeouts.
The one run for NIU came in the top of the first on an RBI single by Avery Carnahan who was thrown out to end the inning after driving in the Huskies lone run.
EIU responded in the bottom of the frame with two runs as Lindy Milkowski delivered a two-run home run to left. It was Milkowski’s fifth home run of the season as she now has a team high 22 RBI this season.
The Panthers tacked on an insurance run in the third on an RBI double by Hannah Cravens.
Cravens was 2-for-3 in the game while Jaylen Prichard had a 3-for-3 day at the plate.
EIU improved to 11-12 on the season with the win.
Delaney Ostrowski suffered the loss falling to 1-3 on the year as NIU dropped to 6-8 on the season. Katie Keller and Kelly Walinski each had two hits for the Huskies.
SIUE 2, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 1; SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 9, SIUE 4
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Grace Lueke did much of the SIUE offensive heavy lifting Monday as SIUE gained a split at the final day of the Saluki Invitational.
SIUE, 7-12, defeated Northern Illinois 2-1 and dropped a 9-4 contest to host SIU Carbondale.
Lueke hit four home runs on the days with two in each game. The Northern Illinois win featured a walk-off home run by Lueke in the bottom of the seventh.
Lueke had five hits and five RBIs for the day.
Mia Haynes went the distance in game one for her fourth win of the season. She struck out two and walked two. She didn't allow a Northern Illinois baserunner until the fourth inning.
Sydney Baalman took the loss against SIU Carbondale, which used a big seven-run fourth inning to push past the Cougars.
SIUE had its chances at the plate but stranded 19 runners over the two games Monday.
SIUE modified its schedule for Wednesday's home opener. The Cougars and South Dakota will now play a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Cougar Field.
KANSAS 8, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Southeast Missouri (9-10) fell to Big 12 Conference member Kansas (8-13) , 8-0, Monday afternoon in the final day of the Jayhawk Invitational.
The long ball came back to haunt SEMO again, this time with KU's three-hole hitter Ashlyn Anderson hitting a pair of round-trippers to get the Jayhawks an early 5-0 advantage.
With two outs in the bottom of the first, Anderson homered to center and later added a three-run home run as part of a four-run third inning.
Anderson's final extra base hit, a double to right center, knocked in a run before a fielder's choice plated two more to send the Jayhawks to their shortened five-inning win.
Kat Sackett and Kaylee Anderson singled for SEMO's only two hits in the game. The Redhawks also committed three errors.
Rachel Rook (6-4) allowed eight runs on six hits, struck out two and walked two in four innings.
Kasey Hamilton (3-6) picked up the win. Hamilton recorded four strikeouts and walked none in her five-inning, two-hit shutout.
Anderson finished at 3-for-3 with two runs and five RBI to pace KU. She fell a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
SEMO closes out its stretch of five games in three days when it faces both Kansas City (11 a.m.) and Iowa (1:30 p.m.) in Kansas City, Missouri Tuesday.
MURRAY STATE 7, ST. THOMAS 0; MURRAY STATE 2, WESTERN ILLINOIS 0
MURRAY, Ky. - Murray State softball (15-8) shut out both St. Thomas (3-15) 7-0 and Western Illinois (4-14) 2-0 on Monday afternoon on the final day of the Racer Classic to extend their winning streak to five games.
Game One - Murray State 7, St. Thomas 0
Gracie Osbron got the scoring started for the Racers in the first inning driving in Logan Braundmeier.
In the second, Taylor Jackson and Braundmeier both launched home runs to make it 4-0. Jackson's was a no-doubter to left field while Braundmeier's clanged off the pole in left for a two-run shot.
Lindsey Carroll added another run in third, coming home when Lily Fischer stole second, getting into a rundown long enough for Carroll to score.
The Racers extended their lead to seven when Fischer laced a two-RBI single back up the middle.
Kamryn Carcich started in the circle for the Racers going five strong innings allowing no runs and only giving up one hit. She struck out five and didn't allow a walk.
Jenna Veber came in for the final two innings and struck out three.
Game Two - Murray State 2, Western Illinois 0
In the final game of the 2022 Racer Classic, Jordan Childress provided the only offense, driving in two runs with a pinch hit bloop single to right in the third inning.
Hannah James threw her second one-hit shutout in as many days. She struck out six, facing only two batters over the minimum.
The Racers will host UTEP on Thursday (March 17). First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
TENNESSEE TECH 11, BELLARMINE 3; TENNESSEE TECH 7, INDIANA STATE 4
COOKEVILLE, Tenn.- Tennessee Tech's Abby Buettner hit two home runs against Indiana State and had six RBI on Monday to lead the Golden Eagles to an 11-3 win over Bellarmine and a 7-4 win over the Sycamores to close out the event. Buettner finished the tournament hitting .462 with four home runs and 11 RBI.
With the victories on Monday, the Golden Eagles (17-6) extend their winning streak to eight games. It is the longest winning streak for Tech since winning 10 straight twice in the 2007 campaign.
Tyler Erwin picked up the victory against Bellarmine, extending her record to 6-1 on the season. Erwin allowed three runs on four hits, walking none and striking out three. Tech collected 10 runs on her counterpart, Megan Murphy, across four frames as she allowed seven hits and six walks, while striking out one.
After the Knights scored a run on a stolen base and two errors, the Golden Eagles picked the run back up and more as they scored three in the home half of the inning. Buettner collected her first RBI of the day on a sacrifice fly to drive in Mackenzie Fitzgerald. Kaylan Cole had a single to drive in Haeli Bryson, then Savannah Talley drew a bases-loaded walk to make it a 3-1 game.
Tech scored two more in the second as a wild pitch allowed Fitzgerald to score, then Buettner hit an RBI single to center field, plating Bryson.
Bellarmine climbed back within two at 5-3 in the top of the fourth, but the Golden Eagles blasted the game wide open in the home half, striking for five runs. Bryson had a bunt single, driving in Fitzgerald. With the bases loaded, the Golden Eagles picked up a grand slam for the second straight game, this time off the bat of Sydney Dukes.
The Golden Eagles added one more run in the fifth as Carmen Betts hit an RBI single to center field to bring in Fitzgerald.
After a fast start in the first inning, Tech saw Indiana State rally to make it a close game, but the Golden Eagles were able to get some late insurance to preserve the complete-game victory for Alyssa Arden, collecting her ninth win of the year.
Arden yielded four runs on nine hits, walking three and striking out four. Lyndsi Adamson took the loss, allowing four runs in one-third of an inning before being lifted for Cassi Newbanks. The latter allowed three more runs on seven hits over the next 5 2/3 innings, walking six and striking out none.
Love-Baker scored on a wild pitch, Betts had an RBI single to drive in Bryson, then Buettner hit her first home run of the game along the left field line to put the Golden Eagles up 4-0 after the first inning. Indiana State scored one on a single, then Tech got that run back on a Shelby Penning solo home run to right to lead 5-1.
The Sycamores clawed back, sprouting two runs in the third and one more in the fourth to make it a 5-4 Golden Eagle lead. Tech added two runs in the bottom of the sixth as Betts reached on a single through the left side of the infield, then Buettner went yard once again with a two-run shot to left center.
The Golden Eagles return to action this weekend, opening Ohio Valley Conference play at UT Martin. Tech will play two on Saturday, starting at 1 p.m., followed by a single game on Sunday.