SUNDAY'S SCORES
Southern Indiana 3, @Tennessee State 2
Southern Indiana 5, @Tennessee State 1
@UT Martin 4, Lindenwood 2
@UT Martin 9, Lindenwood 0
@SIUE 3, Tennessee Tech 1
SIUE 3, TENNESSEE TECH 1
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -SIUE softball won its third consecutive Ohio Valley Conference series with a 3-1 victory Sunday over Tennessee Tech.
It comes on the heels of series wins over Tennessee State and Southern Indiana the past two weekends. The Cougars improved to 20-23 overall and 6-10 in the OVC. Sunday's victory also lifted SIUE into sixth place in the league standings.
SIUE's schedule for the upcoming week includes a single nonconference contest at Missouri Tuesday. Next weekend, SIUE travels to Morehead State for a three-game series.
On Sunday, the SIUE pitching duo of Kelsey Ray and Syndey Baalman gave up just four Tennessee Tech hits and struck out five.
SIUE started the scoring in the third inning. Grace Lueke singled home Lexi King and put SIUE up 1-0.
The Golden Eagles tied the game in the top of the fifth with an RBI single by Haeli Bryson.
The Cougars response was quick and easy with Emma Neuman crushing a double to the left field fence that plated King and Paige Rocha.
SIUE had 10 hits overall, including a team-leading three from Rocha,
UT MARTIN 4, LINDENWOOD 2; UT MARTIN 9, LINDENWOOD 0
MARTIN, Tenn. -Junior Katie Dreiling had a huge day to lift the University of Tennessee at Martin softball team to a doubleheader and series sweep of Ohio Valley Conference foe Lindenwood on Sunday afternoon. The Skyhawks picked up a win in the first game of the doubleheader with a comeback 4-2 victory while wrapping up the series with a dominant 9-0 shutout.
The Skyhawks (20-19, 13-7 OVC) moved over the .500 mark for the first time this season after picking up their third consecutive OVC series win and third sweep. The wins have also solidified a top-four seed in the upcoming OVC Softball Championship which is accompanied by an automatic bye into the double-elimination portion of the tournament field.
Prior to the contest, UT Martin honored its three players which were stepping on the dirt for their final home game at Bettye Giles Field. A pregame ceremony recognized Kaitlyn Kelley, Kallie Pickens and Shyanne Sheffield for their career achievements while their teammates made it a day to celebrate.
Leading the pack for the Skyhawks was the play of Dreiling who did it all on both sides of the ball. Offensively, she went 3-for-6 with three home runs and six RBIs in the doubleheader. Then in the pitcher's circle, she earned wins 10 and 11 of the season after allowing just one run in nine innings of work – including a five-inning shutout to secure the series sweep.
While Dreiling was spraying home runs all over Bettye Giles Field, fellow junior Avry Blume joined in the action by going 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and two RBIs. Meanwhile, the pair of Kelley and Kaci Fuller also recorded two-hit days while each tallying an RBI.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 3, TENNESSEE STATE 2; SOUTHERN INDIANA 5, TENNESSEE STATE 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -With a multi-home run game from senior Allie Goodin (Evansville, Indiana) in the series finale, University of Southern Indiana Softball completed a doubleheader sweep of Tennessee State University on Sunday, winning 3-2 and 5-1, respectively. Sunday's two wins provided USI with an Ohio Valley Conference series win on the road.
Following Sunday's results, USI improved to 18-20 overall and 11-9 in the OVC. The Screaming Eagles snapped a three-game losing skid early Sunday and maintained their position in the top half of the league standings. Tennessee State's record went to 16-23-1 and 7-10 in conference play.
In Sunday's first game, Tennessee State used the second inning to its advantage just like the game on Saturday when the Tigers scored three second-inning runs. On Sunday, the Tigers scored a pair of runs off three hits in the bottom of the second inning to take a 2-0 lead.
USI answered in the top of the fourth inning, as the bats came to life for the Screaming Eagles. With a runner at third, junior first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) put USI on the board with an RBI single. Fair finished the game with a pair of hits to lead USI. Two batters later, sophomore pitcher Hailey Gotshall (Lucerne, Indiana) helped her own cause with an RBI single to right to score Fair and tie the game, 2-2. A successful sacrifice from junior catcher Sammie Kihega (Greenfield, Indiana) put USI in front, 3-2, as senior infielder Jordan Rager (Fishers, Indiana) scored on the play.
Meanwhile, Gotshall was strong in the pitching circle, matching her longest outing of the season with 6.1 innings of work. The sophomore earned her third win of the season, striking out five in the process. Freshman pitcher Raegan Gibson (Louisville, Kentucky) recorded the last two outs for her first career save.
Tennessee State's freshman pitcher Holly Ayala dropped to 4-10 this season with the loss, surrendering three runs – two earned – in a complete-game effort.
Game 2 on Sunday began in a pitcher's duel between USI sophomore pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) and TSU sophomore hurler Caitlyn Manus. Each starter kept the game scoreless and held the two teams to a combined three hits through four innings.
In the top of the fifth inning, Southern Indiana's offense gained some traction. Goodin blasted a two-run home run to centerfield that scored sophomore outfielder Kennedy Nalley (Huntingburg, Indiana) and gave USI a 2-0 lead. Goodin's work did not finish there.
In the top of the seventh inning, and with USI ahead 2-1, Goodin sent another ball out of the ballpark. Goodin's second home run of the game was a three-run shot that scored junior outfielder Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana) and freshman outfielder Caroline Stapleton (Shirley, Indiana) to put USI up by four, 5-1.
Goodin's multi-home run game was the first by a USI player this season, as she tallied her fourth and fifth home runs of the 2023 season. The Evansville, Indiana native is now a home run shy of joining Fair inside the top-10 in USI's all-time history for career home runs. Goodin had all five of USI's RBIs in the second game. Bedrick, Stapleton, Fair, and Nalley had Southern Indiana's other four hits in game 2.
Newman went on to record her 16th complete game and another win, moving to 14-9 on the season. The right-hander struck out four with only one run allowed in seven innings.
The Tigers' Manus suffered the loss, dropping to 12-13 after her complete game in the series finale. Manus struck out three and gave up five runs off six hits and six walks.