Softball Recaps - April 2

Softball Recaps - April 2

SATURDAY'S SCORES
@SIUE 1, Tennessee State 0
@SIUE 5, Tennessee State 0
@UT Martin 1, Belmont 0
@Eastern Illinois 8, Murray State 0
@Southeast Missouri 4, Morehead State 0
@Austin Peay 9, Tennessee Tech 4
Tennessee Tech 11, @Austin Peay 1


SIUE 1, TENNESSEE STATE 0; SIUE 5, TENNESSEE STATE 0
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill
. -  SIUE softball picked up a pair of strong pitching performances with back-to-back shutouts by Mia Haynes and Lexi King in a doubleheader sweep over Tennessee State Saturday at Cougar Field.

The Cougars, 12-19 overall and 4-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference, won game one 1-0 on a two-hit shutout by Haynes. Lexi King added a three-hit shutout in game 2-0 and SIUE rolled to a 5-0 win in the nightcap.

In game one, Tennessee State, now 11-22 overall and 2-8 in the OVC, outhit the Cougars 2-1. However, it was the one hit that produced the victory for the Cougars.

Grace Lueke hit her team-leading eighth home run of the season in the first inning over the fence to right-center field.

Haynes outdueled TSU's Raven Loveless in the opener.

In game two, the home run proved to be the difference again. This time Lauryn Yslava provided the power with a two-run blast to left that plated pinch runner Sam Breed.

The Cougars added three runs in the fifth inning as insurance runs for King, who struck out four in her fourth win of the season.

The two teams return to Cougar Field for the final game of the three-game series Sunday. The first pitch is set for noon.

UT MARTIN 1, BELMONT 0
MARTIN, Tenn.
- Veteran pitcher Erin Gallagher opened the series on the right foot for the University of Tennessee at Martin softball team by pitching a shutout to lift the Skyhawks to a 1-0 victory over red-hot Belmont at Bettye Giles Field on Saturday afternoon. 

The Skyhawks (19-11, 4-3 OVC) picked up their eighth straight win at home this season behind an impressive performance in the circle by their fourth-year pitcher. Gallagher picked up her sixth win of the season and 25th of her career to end the Bruins lengthy 11-game winning streak. She notched her fourth career shutout by limiting the visitors to just four hits on the afternoon while striking out three. 

UT Martin scratched out four hits in the contest including two timely knocks in the bottom of the sixth inning which proved to be the difference in the game. Sophomore Kaci Fuller paced the team with two hits on the day along with the eventual game-winning RBI double. The Skyhawk pair of Paige Clark and Kallie Pickens also joined the hit column on the afternoon.

Belmont (17-8, 8-1 OVC) saw its winning streak come to an end but also received an impressive pitching outing from its ace in the circle. Sophomore Emma Summers (7-3) held the Skyhawks at bay for much of the contest, finishing the day with eight strikeouts, one earned run and four hits allowed in six innings of work. 

The Bruins best scoring opportunity came in the third inning when Audrey Lyle doubled down the left field line with one out. After moving to third on a sacrifice bunt and an ensuing walk followed, the Bruins had a pair of baserunners on the bags. Despite a little traffic, Gallagher relied on her defense and got an innocent groundout to escape the inning unscathed.

After being held hitless for the first three innings, the Skyhawks tallied hits in both the fourth and fifth innings. Then the game took a turn in the home team’s direction in the bottom of the sixth after Clark singled up the middle to start a new potential rally. With the speedster on first, Fuller laced a double into the right center gap and Clark motored around the bases to score the go-ahead run to make the score 1-0.

The one run was all Gallagher and the Skyhawks needed to win the game. A big relay from catcher Maddi Long and shortstop Shyanne Sheffield in the top of the seventh caught a runner stealing second before back-to-back innocent outs ended the game in the home team’s favor. 

UT Martin will return to action for the final two games of the series on Sunday, Apr. 3 against Belmont with first pitch from Bettye Giles Field scheduled for noon.


EASTERN ILLINOIS 8, MURRAY STATE 0
CHARLESTON, Ill. - – Eastern Illinois softball ended up beating both the rain and one of two undefeated teams in Ohio Valley Conference play as the Panthers knocked Murray State from the ranks of the OVC unbeaten with a 8-0 win on Saturday afternoon at Williams Field.

The two teams were originally scheduled to play a Saturday doubleheader but shifted that to a single game earlier this week due to the chance of rain on Saturday.  That rain was scattered on and off all day with Hannah Cravens driving home the run-rule clinching run as the skies opened.

Cravens was big all day for the Panthers as she opened with a two-run home run to left field in the bottom of the first scoring Jaylen Prichard.  It was the 11th home run of the season for Cravens who finished the day 2-for-2 at the plate.   The home run came against Racers starter Hannah James who had eight strike outs in 3.2 innings of work before being lifted.  James fell to 11-4 on the season.

EIU starter Alexa Rehmeier was solid in the circle allowing just two hits, both to Logan Braundmeier, as she had five strike outs to improve to 8-3 on the season.

After scoring two runs in the first on the Cravens home run, EIU added three in the bottom of the fourth.  Lindy Milkowski singled down the left field line to score Cravens for the first run of the inning.  Kendall Fields added a two-run single up the middle to finish off the scoring in the frame.

In the fifth Megan Burton drew a walk to open the inning.  A fielding error on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Marama Makea allowed the Panthers to place two on, with no outs.  Jaylen Prichard would drive in the first run of the inning with a single to center.  Makea later scored on a passed ball and Prichard would end the game on an infield single by Cravens.

Prichard joined Cravens with multiple hits for EIU in the game going 2-for-3.

EIU improved to 18-16 overall, 5-4 in the OVC.  Murray State fell to 23-9 overall, 8-1 in the OVC. 

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 4, MOREHEAD STATE 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo
. -  Rachel Rook recorded 10 strikeouts to lead Southeast Missouri (15-13, 4-3) to a 4-0 series-opening win over Morehead State (2-23, 1-8) Saturday afternoon at the Southeast Softball Complex.
 
Rook and Paytience Holman combined to hold MSU scoreless on only two hits. It marked SEMO's fourth shutout this season.
 
A native of Republic, Missouri, Rook again dominated striking out eight of the first nine hitters she faced. She struck out seven in a row until the final out in the top of the third.
 
While Rook was carving up the Eagles, the Redhawk offense worked quickly to get her a lead.
 
Abigail Rickermann led off with an infield single and went to second on an error. Kaylee Anderson followed with a base hit and Rickermann scored. Anderson later touched home on a ground ball out to put SEMO ahead, 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning.
 
Paige Halliwill doubled and scored on second hit by Anderson in the third inning.
 
The Redhawks tacked on one more run when Halliwill doubled again and scored in the fifth.
 
Rook improved to 9-6. She pitched the first five innings and posted her fifth 10-strikeout performance this year.
 
Holman tossed two innings with one strikeout.
 
Lennon Spicer (2-11) suffered the loss. Spicer struck out one and allowed four runs on six hits in six innings.
 
SEMO finished with six hits. Anderson and Halliwill each had two to lead the way. Halliwill went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored, while Anderson finished at 2-for-3 with a run and two RBI.
 
The Redhawks celebrated their 15th win of the season in front of many softball greats who returned to campus for Alumni Day.
 
SEMO and MSU close out their series with a 12 p.m., CT doubleheader Sunday.

AUSTIN PEAY 9, TENNESSEE TECH 4; TENNESSEE TECH 11, AUSTIN PEAY 1
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn
. - Austin Peay and Tennessee Tech split their Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader, Saturday at Cathi Maynard Park-Cheryl Holt Field, with the Governors winning in a coming-from-behind victory the opener, 9-4, while the Golden Eagles took the nightcap, 11-1. 

In Game 1, Tennessee Tech (23-10, 6-4 OVC) got out to a 2-0 lead after two innings, with MacKenzie Fitzgerald leading off the game with a home run and Sydney Dukes hitting a homer in the second. 

The Govs (16-18, 3-7 OVC) would take its first lead of the game in the bottom of the third, scoring three times, highlighted by a home run by Mea Clark and an RBI triple by Megan Hodum. 

The Golden Eagles would answer back with two runs of its own in the fourth to retake the lead, 5-3, with both coming in on Fitzgerald’s second home run of the game. 

But Austin Peay fired right back with a five-run bottom of the fourth to take the lead for good, 8-4, with Bailey Shorter hitting a two-run homer to highlight the inning. 

The game’s final run came in the bottom of the sixth, on Lexi Osowski’s ninth home run of the season. 

In Game 2, Tennessee Tech exploded for five first-inning runs, with four coming on a grand slam home run by Savannah Talley. 

Austin Peay would score its lone run in the bottom of the first, with Kylie Campbell driving in the run with a double. 

The Golden Eagles would add two more runs in each of the second, third and fifth innings, including Fitzgerald’s third home run of the day in the fifth.