SUNDAY'S SCORES
Austin Peay 8, @Tennessee State 0 (5)
@Tennessee Tech 12, SIUE 7
@Tennessee Tech 7, SIUE 6
@Southeast Missouri 7, Eastern Illinois 6
@Southeast Missouri 8, Eastern Illinois 0 (5)
UT Martin 9, @Morehead State 0 (5)
UT Martin 2, @Morehead State 0
Murray State 7, @Belmont 2
AUSTIN PEAY 8, TENNESSEE STATE 0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee State softball team fell, 8-0, to Austin Peay in the rubber match of the weekend series.
TOP 2ND: Kendyl Weinzapfel led off the inning with a single to left field. In the following at-bat, Emily Harkleroad drove an RBI triple to left-center field to take the initial lead. With the runner on third, Mea Clark tallied an RBI single on a base knock to left field. The nine hitter, Morgan Zuege, dropped down a bunt single and moved Clark into scoring position. Megan Hodum lasered a groundball to shallow third base and TSU's third baseman attempted to record the out at third base, but the ball sailed into left field which allowed Clark to score – Zuege and Hodum advanced into scoring position. Austin Peay extended the lead on a wild pitch as Zuege scored from third. With Hodum at third base, Bailey Shorter registered an RBI single to right field. After a pitching change for the Tigers, Shorter stole second and Lexi Osowski walked to continue the out-less inning. The Governors advanced the runners on a sacrifice bunt. Following a fielder's choice, Weinzapfel logged an RBI on an infield single. Weinzapfel stole second and scored on a two-run single from Harkleroad. || APSU, 8-0
Raven Loveless entered the game in relief and tossed four innings, allowing two unearned runs on four hits and walked one.
Anayah Baker recorded the lone hit of the game for TSU.
Austin Peay's starting pitcher, Harley Mullins, allowed one hit in five scoreless innings.
In 80 innings pitched, Loveless has allowed 72 runs – however, only 39 have been earned (3.41 ERA).
APSU's Lexi Osowski's reached base in her last eight plate appearances after a hit, walk and hit-by-pitch in the contest.
MURRAY STATE 7, BELMONT 2
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Belmont University Softball falls to Murray State in the final game of the series with a 7-2 decision. The Bruins went one for two on the weekend against the Racers. Belmont now posts a 19-11 record on the season and a 10-4 record in Ohio Valley Conference play.
Murray State scored first in today's matchup. After a successful out at home for catcher Audrey Lyle the Bruins allowed a run in the first off of a deep double, 1-0.
The Racer's continued their scoring streak in the second inning with a tag up play and a run off of a double, 3-0.
The Bruins had two in scoring position in the second, Ledbetter reached on an error, Emily Cockrill with a single turned throwing error by the Racers. Belmont was unable to bring them home yet hope against the Racer's pitcher Hannah James was present.
The third and fourth innings were extremely competitive defensively. No runs were scored by either team. The pitchers got to work in the circle and the defenses were on completing all of the necessary plays.
Murray State tallied a run in the fifth on a tag up play. A close call at the plate but Logan Braundmeier was ruled safe at home, 4-0.
The Racer's added three insurance runs in the sixth to extend their lead 7-0. A Bruin error and a double allowed the three runs for Murray State.
Belmont got the bats going in the sixth. Cheyenne Cavanaugh roped a double to left field followed by a Kristen Green bomb to center field allowing Cavanaugh to score, 7-1.
The Bruins held the Racers to seven in the seventh. A solo home run by Alicia Veltri, her fourth on the season, wrapped up the Bruins scoring for the day, 7-2.
Belmont put up a hard fought battle in each game against Murray State. The Bruins now rank second in the OVC after the weekend.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 7, EASTERN ILLINOIS 6; SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 8, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (20-13, 9-3) completed its third Ohio Valley Conference series sweep when it beat Eastern Illinois (21-20, 6-8) by scores of 7-6, 8-0, Sunday on a windy day at the Southeast Softball Complex.
SEMO improved to 9-0 at home this season and swept EIU for the first time in seven years. That year, the Redhawks posted a sweep of the Panthers in a doubleheader rather than a three-game series.
Abigail Rickermann lifted a fly ball to center to drive in Kynzie Wrigley for the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning during game one.
After EIU tied the game in the top of the seventh, Wrigley hit a leadoff single and went to third on an error when left fielder Marama Makea mis-played the ball. On the next play, Rickermann hit her second pitch deep enough to bring Wrigley home for the walk-off victory.
SEMO scored in each of the first four innings to build its early lead.
Kaylee Anderson crushed a two-out home run in the bottom of the first to quickly get things going.
Aubrie Shore led off SEMO's second at-bat with a walk and scored on a double by Kat Sackett to increase the Redhawks lead to 3-0.
A two-out, two-RBI double by Shore plated two more runs in the third before Abigail Rickermann's sacrifice fly brought home Sydney Dennis to give SEMO a 6-3 advantage after EIU scored three times in the top of the fourth.
The Panthers knotted things up with three solo home runs, including back-to-back hits to center by Kendall Fields and Rachel Kaufman in the sixth. Megan Burton's one-out home run tied the game in the final inning.
Marisa Davis (3-3) was credited with the win in relief. Davis recorded the last two outs of the game and added a strikeout.
Seven different Redhawks had a hit. Halliwill, Anderson, Shore, Sackett, Dennis and Wrigley all finished with a hit and one run scored.
For the third-straight game of the series, SEMO again pulled ahead in the first inning.
With Rickermann and Halliwill both on following a walk and hit by pitch, Anderson slammed her second home run of the day over the center field fence to grab the Redhawks a 3-0 advantage. For Anderson, it was her team-high ninth homer of the season.
After Dennis singled and Wrigley doubled to start the bottom of the second, Halliwill knocked in both runners to push the Redhawks lead to 5-0.
Following a one-out single by Rickermann in the bottom of the fourth Halliwill stepped in and launched a home run to left stretching SEMO's margin to 7-0. The round-tripper was the seventh for Halliwill in 2022.
SEMO loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning when Rickermann sent the Redhawks to their second walk-off victory of the day. This time, she singled up the middle to score Kelby Robinson for the game-winner.
Davis (4-3) picked up her second win of the day after throwing a complete game shutout with seven strikeouts and no walks. She allowed just three hits, as well. The shutout was the first of Davis' career and her seven Ks are a career-best.
SEMO outhit EIU, 8-3, in the nightcap.
Rickermann and Halliwill each finished with two hits and two runs. The two combined for five RBI and Anderson chipped in three more RBI of her own.
TENNESSEE TECH 12, SIUE 7; TENNESSEE TECH 7, SIUE 6
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -The Golden Eagles used some late-inning heroics in both games to earn the sweep over SIUE and improve their record at the Tech Softball Field to 11-0 on the season. It is the longest home winning streak since 2007, where Tech went 15-0 en route to a 20-2 mark at home.
Tech saw SIUE tie the day’s first game at 7-all in the fifth inning, but the Golden Eagles struck for five runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 12-7 victory in the Sunday opener.
In game two, after the Cougars took a 5-2 lead in the fifth, Tech tied the game and took the lead in the sixth. SIUE tied the game in the top of the seventh, then Haeli Bryson hit an RBI single up the middle for the 7-6 walk-off victory.
Sydney Dukes had a fantastic game in the first game, going 2-for-4 at the plate and driving in five runs. She also went 2-for-3 in the nightcap with another RBI to drive in six on a 4-for-7 effort on the day. Sydney Love-Baker was 2-for-6, but drove in four runs.
It wasn’t just offense as the Golden Eagles had huge defensive plays. Brooklin Richardson had two amazing catches – the first in the third inning with Tech trailing 4-2. Lauren Yslava led off with a shot that was a sure home run, but Richardson climbed the ladder – reaching over the wall – and snagging the ball for the out. She also had another phenomenal catch in the seventh inning of game two, stretching out into a full dive to collect the out in a key situation.
Pitching-wise, Alyssa Arden collected her 13th victory of the season in an offensive slugfest that wouldn’t be kind to any pitcher’s stats. Arden walked two and struck out seven, but was tagged for seven earned runs on eight hits in the complete game effort.
Mia Haynes took the loss in the first game, allowing 12 runs – eight earned – on 12 hits, walking two and striking out four across 5 2/3 innings. Sydney Baalman, who later took the loss in game two, came on in relief and retired her lone batter faced.
Bryson threw the first five innings of the second game, allowing five runs – four earned – on four hits as she walked one and struck out seven. After she was taken out, Tech tied the game and took her off the hook as Tyler Erwin worked her way to her ninth win of the season. Erwin pitched the final two frames, allowing one run on one hit – a solo home run by Jenna Herron to lead off the seventh – as she struck out one.
Kelsey Ray, making her first OVC start, went 4 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits with a strikeout, but Baalman took the loss allowing three runs – none earned – on four hits, walking one.
In game one, SIUE took a 2-0 lead as Bailey Concatto drove in Lexi King with a single to right, then Amber Storer used a sacrifice fly to left to drive in Concatto. Tech cut the deficit in half as Abby Buettner hit a single to right, driving in Bryson.
The Cougars got a two-out single from Micah Arps, then King and Concatto hit back to back doubles to drive in two more. Tech made it 4-2 as Dukes hit a double along the left field line to plate Savannah Talley.
The Golden Eagles struck for four runs in the third inning to take a 6-4 lead. Carmen Betts led off with a walk, then advanced on Bryson’s grounder to the circle. A throwing error at short on Buettner’s batted ball put runners at the corners. Love-Baker laid down a perfect bunt and the SIUE infielders threw home to try to get Betts, but she slid underneath the play to touch home to make it 4-3.
Talley took a walk to load the bases, then Dukes grounded to first, driving in Buettner and tying the game at four. Shelby Penning then hit a single to short to drive in Love-Baker to take the lead, and Talley came home on Richardson’s single up the middle.
The Golden Eagles added a single run in the bottom of the fourth as Betts led off with a solo home run to make it 7-4.
After getting robbed of a home run in her previous trip up, Yslava wasn’t getting denied again. With King and Concatto parked on base, Yslava hit a deep shot over left center to square the game once more.
Tech surged out once more in the bottom of the sixth. Richardson led off with a single to first, then stole second, but a throwing error allowed her to take third. After a flyout to the second baseman, Bryson hit a single up the middle to drive in Richardson and retake the lead.
Buettner and Love-Baker hit back-to-back singles, driving in Bryson, then Talley reached on an error at second to load the bases. Dukes delivered a double into right center to clear the bases and giving Tech its 12 runs.
In the second game, Grace Lueke had an RBI double to center field, driving in King to put the Cougars up 1-0. That was it until the bottom of the fourth. Bryson singled to left and took second on a wild pitch, then Love-Baker worked the count full on seven pitches. She launched the eighth over the wall to give Tech a 2-1 lead with a home run to left.
SIUE scored four runs in the top of the fifth. Katie Smith took a walk and King singled back to the circle. Concatto drove in Smith with a single down the left line, then Lueke hit a home run to left center to take a 5-2 advantage.
In the home half of the inning, Dukes led off with a single to center field, then Mackenzie Fitzgerald, facing two down, launched the ball to left field to make it a 5-4 game. In the Tech sixth, again with two down, the Golden Eagles got something going as Talley singled to center, advanced to second on a throw to get Love-Baker, who reached on a walk, at third, but the third baseman threw the ball away as Talley took second. The error allowed Love-Baker to score, tying the game at five, and Talley to reach third. Dukes brought the go-ahead run in on a single to center.
SIUE tied the game as Herron led off with a solo home run to left, leaving the game to the Tech offense in the bottom of the seventh. With one down, Fitzgerald eyed a single up the middle, then an error at third allowed Betts to reach. The duo advanced on a wild pitch, then Bryson collected the game-winning hit, knocking a single up the middle to plate Fitzgerald for the walkoff.
The Golden Eagles improve to 26-11 on the season, 9-5 in the OVC, while SIUE falls to 13-23, 5-9 in the league.
UT MARTIN 2, MOREHEAD STATE 0;UT MARTIN 9, MOREHEAD STATE 0
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team received dazzling pitching performances on Sunday as both Erin Gallagher and Alexis Groet tossed shutouts in a pair of 9-0 (five innings) and 2-0 victories against Ohio Valley Conference foe Morehead State but it was a no-hit performance by Gallagher which will join the Skyhawk record books.
The Skyhawks (22-12, 7-4 OVC) completed the series sweep after limiting the Eagles (2-27, 1-12 OVC) to just three hits and zero runs on the day between 12 innings of work.
Hailing from Suwanee, Ga., Gallagher became just the ninth player in UT Martin softball history to toss a no-hitter in the Game 1 win over Morehead State on Sunday afternoon. The reigning OVC Pitcher of the Week picked up her seventh win of the season after pitching five innings and striking out three while allowing zero hits and zero runs on the day. Included in her dominating performance, she faced just one batter above the minimum in the five-inning contest for her fifth career shutout.
Gallagher now joins a select list which includes Cindy Bringle (twice in 1991), Tiffany Craig (1995), Megan Mizell (2005), Ashton Strode (2006), Kate Vanderham (2010), Alyssa Vanlandingham (2017) and Lexi Ray (2019).
Also posting a strong outing on the day was Groet who improved to 8-6 on the year after picking up her fourth shutout as a Skyhawk. Groet went the distance while striking out 10 and scattering four hits over seven innings.
Game 33: UT Martin 9, Morehead State 0 (Five innings)
The Skyhawks jumped into the scoring column in the top of the second inning after tallying three hits in the frame. Back-to-back hits by Shyanne Sheffield and Avry Blume moved the pair into scoring position with just one out to set up Maddi Long for an RBI opportunity which she capitalized on to give the visitors an early one-run advantage. Senior Emily Gilstrap then added to the margin with an opposite field single for her 16th RBI of the season to put UT Martin up 2-0.
The following inning saw a big opposite field two-out double into the left field corner by Katie Dreiling keep the third frame alive for the Skyhawks. With a runner in scoring position in front of her, Kallie Pickens brought Dreiling home to score the game's third run with a single to center field.
UT Martin blew the game open in the fourth inning with six runs to end the contest early. The Skyhawks started the frame by loading the bases before an error on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kaitlyn Kelley brought home the first run of the inning. Two more runs came home on the ensuing play as Dreiling rifled an opposite field single to left to score Clark while a defensive miscue allowed Kaci Fuller to scamper home. The visitors capped off the day's scoring output with a two-run double by Sheffield and an RBI single by Long to bring the score to 9-0.
While the team's offense was rolling in the opener, the Skyhawks really needed just one run with Gallagher in the circle. Along with her no-hitter, Gallagher faced just one batter above the minimum in the contest with her only blemishes coming on a hit by pitch in the first and a walk in the fourth.
Game 34: UT Martin 2, Morehead State 0
After a big offensive performance in Game 1, the second game of the doubleheader was a pitcher's duel for much of the contest until the Skyhawks broke through in the top of the fifth inning. With four scoreless innings in the books, Clark got the scoring started by hitting a solo home run to left for her fifth career homer. The Skyhawks weren't done in the frame as Pickens added another run to the tally by cranking her 11th double of the season to bring in Fuller and make it a 2-0 contest.
With one shutout snapped, the Skyhawks worked to keep theirs preserved. With a two-run cushion behind her, Groet only allowed one hit over the final three innings of the game to shutdown the Eagles and secure the series sweep.