SUNDAY'S SCORES
@Southeast Missouri 12, Morehead State 2
@Southeast Missouri 8, Morehead State 0
@SIUE 2, Tennessee State 1
Murray State 9, @Eastern Illinois 5
@Eastern Illinois 5, Murray State 0
Belmont 4, @UT Martin 3
@UT Martin 2, Belmont 1
@Austin Peay 7, Tennessee Tech 5
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 12, MOREHEAD STATE 2; SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 8, MOREHEAD STATE 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO. - Kaylee Anderson went 4-for-6 with two grand slams, four runs and eight RBI to lead Southeast Missouri (17-13, 6-3) to a 12-2, 8-0, doubleheader sweep of Morehead State (2-25, 1-10) Sunday.
SEMO completed its second series sweep in Ohio Valley Conference play this season.
In game one, Anderson smashed grand slams in consecutive at-bats and had a career-high eight RBI to send SEMO to a five-inning walk-off win.
The Redhawks led, 3-2, when Anderson hit her first grand slam to break things open.
Kynzie Wrigley doubled for the second time to spark a two-out rally in the bottom of the fourth inning. Abigail Rickermann and Paige Halliwill each walked after that. Anderson then hit Madi Ogden's first offering over the left field wall for her team-high sixth home run of the season giving SEMO a 7-2 advantage.
With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the fifth, Anderson crushed her other home run to straightaway center to polish off the win.
Early on, SEMO capitalized on a rough start by MSU pitcher Bree Sexton. Sexton walked the first four hitters she faced. Those miscues led to a pair of runs for the Redhawks in the top of the first inning.
SEMO added another run an inning later when Wrigley ripped a double down the left field line to score Sydney Dennis. Dennis singled, stole second and advanced to third on a walk before scoring.
Rachel Rook (10-3) picked up her 10th win of the season. She came out of the bullpen to strike out five of the six hitters she faced over the final two innings of the contest. Rook now has 50 career wins at SEMO and is just the seventh pitcher in program history to reach that milestone.
Sexton (0-4) took the loss for MSU which allowed a total of nine walks.
Wrigley doubled in all three of her at-bats and went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI. Anderson finished at 2-for-3 with a game-high three runs. She leads the Redhawks with seven home runs in 2022.
The Redhawks used a five-run fifth inning to propel its win in the nightcap.
Already ahead, 3-0, Chelsy Pena, Aubrie Shore and Wrigley all delivered RBI-hits to finish off its second five-inning win of the day.
With its two wins this afternoon, SEMO now has six five-inning victories this year.
Paytience Holman (4-2) was strong in the circle tossing her second shutout of the season. Holman allowed only two hits, struck out four and walked none in her complete game.
Lennon Spicer (2-12) took the loss.
SEMO registered 11 hits in game two with Rickermann, Anderson and Wirgley each contributing two.
SIUE 2, TENNESSEE STATE 1
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE softball won its fifth straight game Sunday with a 2-1 victory over Tennessee State in an Ohio Valley Conference matchup at Cougar Field.
Winning five games for the week, including two over Eastern Illinois and three against Tennessee State, the Cougars have climbed back into the OVC standings with a 5-6 record in league play. The Cougars now stand 13-19 overall.
Both teams had eight hits in the finale of the series, but a third inning bases-loaded walk to Amber Storer proved to be the difference.
Sydney Baalman threw 6-plus innings for her fourth win of the season. She fanned four and scattered seven hits.
Mia Haynes earned her second save of the season by getting the final two outs.
Tennessee State, 11-23 overall and 2-9 in the OVC, turned three double plays in the game. Francys King took the loss for the Tigers despite allowing just two third-inning runs. One was on an RBI single by Grace Lueke that scored Aerin Talley and the other a bases-loaded walk to Storer that scored Lexi King.
The Tigers mounted a comeback in the top of the fourth. With runners on second and third, Maggie Klug laced a pitch to SIUE left fielder Micah Arps. Although one run scored on a tag up, a heads up play ensued with Arps to catcher Piper Montgomery to Lueke at third base throw catching the runner at second trying to take an extra base.
MURRAY STATE 9, EASTERN ILLINOIS 5; EASTERN ILLINOIS 5, MURRAY STATE 0
CHARLESTON, Ill. - – Eastern Illinois and Murray State faired much better against Mother Nature on Sunday afternoon as the two schools split their Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader at Williams Field.
Murray State jumped out early in the opener and posted a 9-5 win in game one on Sunday.
Eastern Illinois rebounded with a strong pitching performance in the second game to clinch the weekend series with a 5-0 win.
EIU improved to 19-17 overall, 6-5 in the OVC winning two of the three weekend games against Murray State by shutout. Murray State moved to 24-10 overall, 9-2 in the OVC.
MURRAY STATE 9, EASTERN ILLINOIS 5
After being limited to just two hits in Saturday’s 8-0 loss at EIU, Murray State jumped out early on Sunday afternoon. Logan Braundmeier, who had the only two hits for the Racers on Saturday, opened the game with a solo home run; her sixth of the year.
The Racers added more offense in the second as they scored six runs sending 11 batters to the plate. Gracie Osbron had the big hit in the inning with a bases clearing double that she would come around to score on as the throw to get a runner out at the plate hit the runner and ricocheted away. Erin Lackey and Kamryn Carcich added RBI hits in the inning.
Murray State extended its lead to 7-0 in the third with a solo home run by Lackey. Sierra Gilmore added a solo blast for the Racers run in the sixth.
EIU cut the Murray State lead in half with four runs in the fourth. The Panthers drove in all four runs in the frame with doubles by Megan Burton, Maddie Swart and Hannah Cravens. Cravens double scored two runs.
EIU made one final push in the seventh scoring one run on a wild pitch before Racers starter Hannah James returned to close the door and record the final three outs.
Jenna Veber picked up the win in relief for Murray State improving to 10-4. Alexa Rehmeier suffered the loss for EIU falling to 8-4.
Osbron and Jackson both had three hits in the game to lead Murray State.
Swart and Jaylen Prichard had two hits each to lead EIU.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 5, MURRAY STATE 0
Eastern Illinois bounced back in the final game of the series with strong pitching performance by Rachel Kaufman. The junior college transfer scattered five hits throwing a complete game shutout to improve to 3-5 on the season.
The Panthers provided Kaufman all the run support she would need with two runs in the first against Murray State starter Kamryn Carcich (3-1). Hannah Cravens had an RBI single to right followed by a sacrifice fly by Megan Burton to put EIU up 2-0.
EIU tacked on solo runs in the third and fourth inning with home runs by Cravens and Kendall Fields. It was the OVC leading 12th home run of the season for Cravens.
The Panthers final run of the game came in the fifth on an RBI single by Burton as EIU had only five hits in the game. Cravens had two hits while Burton, Fields and Maddie Swart had the other three.
Kaufman was sharp all afternoon in the circle allowing only two Murray State runners to reach second or third base. In the third she would strand the Racers Isabella Wilson at third base.
Wilson was one of five MSU players with hits in the game. Erin Lackey, Sierra Gilmore, Lily Fischer and Carcich all joined Wilson with hits for the Racers.
BELMONT 4, UT MARTIN 3; UT MARTIN 2, BELMONT 1
MARTIN, Tenn. -Junior Kallie Pickens played the role of hero on Sunday afternoon by launching a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh in Game 2 of today’s doubleheader to clinch a series win for the University of Tennessee at Martin softball team over visiting Ohio Valley Conference foe Belmont.
The Skyhawks (20-12, 5-4 OVC) won two of three games in the series after winning the opener on Saturday afternoon and splitting today’s doubleheader. Belmont picked up a win in Game 2 with a narrow 4-3 victory before UT Martin came back in dramatic fashion with a 2-1 winner in the series finale.
UT Martin tallied 11 hits on the afternoon between the two contests while bashing three home runs. Along with Pickens’ long ball to win the finale, she ranked as one of three players to tally multiple base hits on the afternoon. Kaci Fuller pushed her hitting streak to five games with a pair of hits while Shyanne Sheffield also tallied two hits – including a two-run home run in Game 1. Sophomore catcher Maddi Long wrapped up the team’s scoring with a solo homer – her second of the season.
The pitching staff was strong on the afternoon by posting a 2.00 ERA, allowing four earned runs in 14 innings of work. Alexis Groet (7-6) was hit with the loss in Game 1 after allowing four earned runs in three innings of work while Seeley Layne appeared in relief and was strong, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings. Erin Gallagher started Game 2 and went 5.1 innings – allowing zero earned runs – before Katie Dreiling (1-1) picked up her first Skyhawk victory with 3.0 scoreless innings split between the two contests.
Game 31: Belmont 4, UT Martin 3
Belmont jumped on the board first with a run in the first inning of the opener. Back-to-back walks with one out proved costly for the home team after Kristen Green drove a single to right field which allowed Ledbetter to score from second on the play.
The Bruins then pushed across two more runs in the top of the third inning as Green added to her big game as she hit a two-run homer to right center to put the visitors on top 3-0.
The visitors expanded upon their lead once again in the top of the fourth when Cheyenne Cavanaugh singled to bring the margin to four runs.
UT Martin began its comeback attempt in the bottom of the fourth inning. Dreiling began the rally by doubling to left center before a two-run homer by Sheffield cut the deficit in half.
The Skyhawks then chipped away even more in the bottom of the fifth when Long launched a solo shot into the left field party deck to make it a 4-3 contest. UT Martin later got the potential game-tying run to third base in the bottom of the sixth inning but the runner was stranded in the team’s final rally.
Game 32: UT Martin 2, Belmont 1
Both teams went toe-to-toe with neither team cracking the scoring column until the top of the sixth inning. Belmont got on the board first after a double by Abi Ledbetter started the scoring sequence followed by a walk and a fielder’s choice to load the bases. The go-ahead run was later scored as a throw to home for a force out resulted in an error – allowing the run to score on the play.
With the Skyhawks down to their final three outs in the seventh inning, Dreiling drew a walk to reach base. Just like in the first game, UT Martin made a quick substitution to bring in the pinch runner Anna Blanton but the runner’s job later turned into a trot as Pickens cranked a two-run home run to left to give the Skyhawks a 2-1 walk-off win.
AUSTIN PEAY 7, TENNESSEE TECH 5
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University’s softball team scored six total runs in its first two at bats versus Tennessee Tech, Sunday at Cathi Maynard Park-Cheryl Holt Field, as it took the rubber-game of the three game Ohio Valley Conference series, 7-5.
The Governors (17-18, 4-7 OVC) would score four times in the bottom of the first, all coming after two outs.
Lexi Osowski would get things started by drawing a walk and move around to third on a single by Brooke Pfefferle.
That brought up Kylie Campbell, who reached on a throwing error by the Golden Eagles (23-11, 6-5) second baseman, allowing Osowski and Pfefferle to score, while she advanced to second base.
Kendyl Weinzapfel would follow with an RBI double, scoring Campbell, to make it 3-0.
Emily Harkleroad would then reach on an infield single and advance to second on a throwing error by the Tech shortstop, with Weinzapfel scoring to put the Govs up 4-0.
Austin Peay would extend its lead out to 6-0 with two more runs in the second inning, the first coming on back-to-back doubles by Megan Hodum and Osowski, while two batters later, Osowski would score on a single by Campbell.
Tennessee Tech would score its first run of the game in the third, with Sydney Dukes opening the inning with a double and two batters later score on a single by Mackenzie Fitzgerald, making it 6-1.
The score would remain that way until the top of the sixth, then Tech scored two runs to cut the Govs lead to 6-3.
Haeli Bryson reached on an error to open the inning, and after advancing to second on a passed ball, moved to third on a missed third strike to Abby Buettner, putting runners at first and third.
Sydney Love-Baker would then walk to load the bases, followed by an RBI single by Savannah Talley.
Nicolle Nysted, who came off the bench to pinch hit, drove in the second run of the inning with a ground out.
The Govs would get one of the runs back in the bottom of the inning, with Campbell driving in Pfefferle with a single, making it 7-3.
Tennessee Tech wouldn’t go quietly in the seventh, as they scored two runs and had the passable tying run at the plate, but relief pitcher Harley Mullins induced a final ground out to seal the victory for the Govs, 7-5.
Jordan Benefiel (9-6) got the win, going the first 6.1 innings, giving up five runs on eight hits, while walking three and striking out eight, while Mullins got the final two outs to pick up her first save of the season.
Haeli Bryson (4-3) took the loss for Tennessee Tech.