SUNDAY'S SCORES
Lindenwood 1, Western Michigan 0
Grand Canyon 9,
Eastern Illinois 1 (5)
@Troy 2,
SIUE 1
Belmont 7,
SIUE 3
Tennessee State 1, Grambling State 0
Tennessee State 12, Alcorn State 2
Louisiana Tech 8,
Southeast Missouri 0 (6)
Louisiana Tech 6,
Southeast Missouri 1
LINDENWOOD 1, WESTERN MICHIGAN 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Recap coming soon.
GRAND CANYON 9, EASTERN ILLINOIS 1
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Both Eastern Illinois and Grand Canyon produced six hits on Sunday morning but GCU was able to utilize their six hits to produce offensive chances as they beat EIU 9-1 to close out play in the Incarnate Word Tournament.
GCU jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning with Katelyn Dunckel driving in the first run with an RBI triple. Kaitlyn Brannstrom delivered an RBI double with the Antelopes adding two more runs on sacrifice flies.
EIU would get on the board in the top of the fourth with Jaylen Prichard leading off with a double to center. Prichard would come around to score on an RBI single by Riley Dittmar. Prichard was the lone EIU player with multiple hits going 2-for-2.
GCU tacked on three more runs in the second and one in the fourth. Dunckel had a two-run home run in the second going 2-for-3 at the plate. Brannstrom also drove in three runs for GCU.
Daleny Chumbley and Kaitlyn Riefsteck both worked in the circle for EIU as they fell to 0-5 on the season.
Two pitchers saw time in the circle for GCU as they improved to 5-0 on the season. EIU’s run on Sunday was the lone run of the weekend surrendered by the GCU staff.
TENNESSEE STATE 1, GRAMBLING STATE 0; TENNESSEE STATE 12, ALCORN STATE 2
VICKSBURG, Miss. - Recap coming soon.
TROY 2, SIUE 1; BELMONT 7, SIUE 3
TROY, Ala. - SIUE softball closed out the Trojan Classic Sunday with a pair of losses to Troy and Belmont.
SIUE, 0-3, began the day with a 2-1 loss to Troy and finished with a 7-3 defeat from Belmont.
The Cougars next head to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, for five games at the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagle Invite. SIUE will face Tulsa and Jacksonville State twice as well as host Southern Mississippi once.
The opening game was a good start for the Cougars against Troy starter Leanna Johnson. Lauren Yslava collected her first RBI of the season with a first-inning single to left that drove home Hayley Palm.
Troy, however, had single tallies in the fourth and fifth inning and outhit the Cougars 6-5.
SIUE's Sydney Baalman went the distance and struck out three in her season debut.
In game two, Belmont used the long ball late to defeat the Cougars. Home runs by Brenna Blume, Kaley Varner and Nicole Hughes in the sixth and seventh innings defused an SIUE comeback.
Down 1-0 early, SIUE tallied three runs in the fourth inning. Paige Rocha singled home a run, and Lexi King provided a two-RBI double that put the Cougars ahead 3-1.
SIUE used three pitchers in the game with Rylie Pindel getting her first career start. She allowed one run on three hits in four innings. Kelsey Ray took the loss in 2 2/3 innings of work while Baalman got the final out in the sixth.
LOUISIANA TECH 8, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0; LOUISIANA TECH 6, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1
RUSTON, La. - Louisiana Tech (3-0) beat Southeast Missouri (0-3) by scores of 8-0 and 6-1 in a doubleheader Sunday. The Lady Techsters completed a season-opening series sweep of the Redhawks.
In game one, La. Tech jumped ahead early with a four-run first inning. Sierra Sacco was hit by a pitch and stole second. Amanda Gonzalez walked and Kylie Neel followed with a RBI-single to left. With one out, Kate Cooper hit a three-run home run to put the Lady Techsters ahead, 4-0.
The Lady Techsters added two unearned runs in the second. Bailey Wright led off with a double and scored on an error. Gonzalez later flied out to left center scoring Alyssa Dean to make it 6-0.
In the top of the third, Kimmy Fleming led off with single and Tatum Gerwitz reached on a walk. SEMO, however, came up empty with two runners in scoring position.
La. Tech hit back-to-back home runs to finish off its win in the bottom of the sixth. Jordyn Manning and Wright each delivered solo shots with one out in the inning.
Lauren Menzina and Mary Martinez combined for a three-hit shutout. Menzina was credited with the win after striking out two, walking three and allowing two hits in four innings.
Martinez gave up a walk and one hit in two frames.
Paytience Holman (0-1) suffered the loss in her 2023 debut. Holman gave up eight runs on eight hits, struck out two and walked one in 5.1 innings.
Alyson Tucker went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles to lead SEMO. Fleming had the other hit.
Seven players had a hit for the Lady Techsters.
For the third-straight game, La. Tech grabbed a lead in the first inning when it scored twice to begin the nightcap.
Sacco singled, Gonzalez doubled and Neel was hit by a pitch to immediately load the bases with no outs against starter Delaney Kell. Brooke Diaz flied out and Sacco scored before Carol Easom doubled down the right field line to give the Lady Techsters a 2-0 cushion.
The Redhawks, who left two on in the first, loaded the bases in the top of the second. Allie Floyd kept SEMO off the board when she got Paige Halliwill to ground out.
La. Tech tacked on another run in the third inning and loaded the bases to score two more in the fourth. One final tally came for the Lady Techsters in the sixth.
SEMO, which went its first 19 innings of the season without scoring, got its first run on a two-out double by Tucker in the top of the seventh. Tucker's second double of the game scored Halliwill to cut La. Tech's lead to 6-1.
Floyd (1-0) picked up the win tossing six scoreless innings. She scattered five hits, struck out one and walked one.
Kell (0-1) took the loss after giving up five runs on eight hits and walking one in three innings.
The Lady Techsters outhit the Redhawks, 10-5. Tucker again led SEMO going 3-for-4 with a pair doubles.
SEMO returns to action when it hosts Saint Louis in its home-opener on Feb. 19. First pitch of a doubleheader is set for 12 p.m., CT.