SUNDAY'S SCORES
SIUE 10, @Morehead State 1 (6)
@Southeast Missouri 9, UT Martin 0
@Southeast Missouri 5, UT Martin 2
@Lindenwood 5, Eastern Illinois 4
Tennessee State 15, @Tennessee Tech 10
SIUE 10, MOREHEAD STATE 1
MOREHEAD, Ky. - SIUE softball crushed three home runs Sunday at Morehead State, handing the Eagles a 10-1, six-inning loss to sweep the three-game series.
The Cougars, now 23-24 overall and 9-10 in the Ohio Valley Conference, will close out the regular season next weekend against Lindenwood at Cougar Field. SIUE has recorded a 9-2 record in conference play after starting 0-8.
Sunday's victory included 14 hits from the Cougars with three each from Paige Rocha and Lexi King. Grace Lueke, Hayley Pam and Madisyn Webster each had two hits.
SIUE struck first with a pair of unearned runs as Emma Neuman reached on a two-out infield error. The Cougars then unloaded with a double from Lueke and a triple from Palm.
In the fourth inning, Piper Montgomery hit her first home run of the season to put the Cougars up 3-0. Rocha added her team-leading sixth home run two batters later to make it 5-0.
SIUE pitcher Sydney Baalman collected the win, her 12th of the season. The right-hander gave up just two hits to Morehead State while fanning six batters. Morehead State finished the weekend 6-15 in the OVC and 11-29 overall.
The Cougar offense erupted in the top of the sixth, collecting five runs en route to a short game win. SIUE used five hits and two walks, culminated by a three-run blast from Lueke.
Both Lueke and Rocha finished with four RBIs apiece.
LINDENWOOD 5, EASTERN ILLINOIS 4
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Lindenwood Lions rallied to score four in the seventh inning and walked it off on junior Chloe Honchar's two-run double to pick up the 5-4 victory over the Eastern Illinois Panthers Sunday.
Freshman Avery Wapp (5-8) got the win for Lindenwood (16-28, 8-12). The right-hander went seven innings, giving up four runs, all of them earned, on seven hits, allowing six walks and striking out three.
Senior Morgan Gersch led the way offensively for the Lions, going 1-for-3 in the ballgame with a home run and an RBI. Honchar compiled a noteworthy day at the dish as well, going 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and two RBI. Sophomore Lauren Pelton also helped out, going 1-for-2 for Lindenwood with two walks and an RBI.
Trailing 3-0, the Lions first put runs on the board in the sixth inning. Gersch put Lindenwood on the board with a one-out solo home run off sophomore Alexa Rehmeier.
Eastern Illinois extended their lead to 4-1 before Lindenwood rallied to score four times in the bottom half of the seventh to claim victory, walking it off on Honchar's two-out two-run double.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 9, UT MARTIN 0; SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 5, UT MARTIN 2
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (27-11, 19-1) secured the 2023 Ohio Valley Conference outright regular-season title and the OVC Tournament's top seed with a 9-0, 5-2, doubleheader sweep of UT Martin (21-22, 13-10) Sunday.
SEMO swept UTM on its home diamond where it has won 30 in a row and gone undefeated in two-straight seasons for the first time in program history. The Redhawks' OVC title capped a perfect 13-0 record at the Southeast Softball Complex as SEMO was once again the only team in the league to go unbeaten at home.
The regular-season championship is SEMO's eighth in program history and third since the 2019 campaign. It also pushed the total number of OVC championships by the Redhawks Department of Athletics to six in 2022-23. SEMO's football (regular-season), women's indoor track & field, men's basketball (tournament) and women's tennis (regular-season & tournament) also celebrated title runs.
Paytience Holman picked up both wins in the circle for SEMO with an outstanding performance.
Holman pitched a one-hit shutout and retired 15 of the 16 hitters she faced in the Redhawks shortened five-inning win via the run rule.
SEMO staked Holman to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Alyson Tucker knocked in Jillian Anderson and Kat Sackett doubled home both Tucker and Aubrie Shore.
The Redhawks blew the game open with a six-run, five-hit third inning.
Shore was hit by a pitch and Tucker walked before Sydney Dennis scored two runs on a triple to right. Sackett singled down the right field line and Dennis scored. Kynzie Wrigley later doubled to left center and both Sackett and Zoe Schulte scored. Wrigley touched home on a ground out by Tatum Gerwitz to make it a 9-0 ballgame.
SEMO took care of the Skyhawks in a quick 77 minutes for its eighth run-rule victory of the season.
Holman did not allow a walk and struck out one in her masterful game one outing that saw her throw 53 pitches.
Offensively, the Redhawks outhit UTM, 10-1, with Dennis and Sackett combining for four hits, two runs and five RBI.
In game two, Holman started again and fell behind, 1-0, in the top of the first inning.
Tucker, however, tied things up in the bottom of the second when she ripped a leadoff solo home run over the left field wall. The round-tripper marked Tucker's fourth of the year.
SEMO gave Holman her first lead in the bottom of the third when Shore and Tucker hit back-to-back run-scoring doubles. Both of those hits came with two outs giving the Redhawks a 4-1 advantage.
Wrigley's bunt brough home Sydney Melton for SEMO's final run of the day.
Holman, who exited the game in the fifth, inherited a bases loaded situation when she re-entered that same inning. Holman then recorded three outs to get out of the jam.
UTM had the tying run at the plate with runners on first and third and two outs in the top of the seventh. Former Redhawk Katie Dreiling represented the tying run. Holman got Dreiling to fly out to left field and the championship celebration ensued.
Holman (6-6) gave up just one run on six hits, struck out two and walked none in seven innings during the nightcap.
Tucker finished at 2-of-3 with a double, home run, one run scored and two RBI to lead the Redhawks at the plate.
SEMO has now won 16-straight OVC games and picked up its 10th-consecutive series sweep in Cape Girardeau. The Redhawks ran its series winning streak against UTM to 11 victories, as well.
TENNESSEE STATE 10, TENNESSEE TECH 10
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Recap coming soon.