FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Southeast Missouri 4, Morehead State 1
@Southeast Missouri 9, Morehead State 1 (6)
@Eastern Illinois 2, Southern Indiana 0
Southern Indiana 8, Eastern Illinois 5 (9)
@UT Martin 10, Tennessee Tech 4
#18 Oregon 16,
Lindenwood 0
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 4, MOREHEAD STATE 1; SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 9, MOREHEAD STATE 1
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -Southeast Missouri (19-9, 12-1) continued its winning ways sweeping Morehead State (10-15, 5-6) in a doubleheader by scores of 4-1 and 9-1 Friday afternoon at the Southeast Softball Complex.
SEMO extended its winning streak to nine-straight Ohio Valley Conference victories and kept its home winning streak intact at 25 in a row.
The Redhawks pounded out 14 hits to key its game one victory.
SEMO scored three runs in the bottom of the third inning to grab the lead and never looked back.
Kat Sackett and Aubrie Shore started the SEMO third with back-to-back singles. After a pitching change, Alyson Tucker popped up to second base. On the next play, both Sackett and Shore advanced on a wild pitch. Kynzie Wrigley followed with a single down the left field line to score two runs. Zoe Schulte's two-out single scored Wrigley to put the Redhawks ahead, 3-0.
Jillian Anderson singled to right and Sydney Dennis scored to push SEMO's lead to 4-0 in the fifth.
MSU avoided the shutout when Emily Williams hit a solo home run to left for the Eagles' only run of the game in the top of the seventh inning.
Paytience Holman (3-5) went the distance allowing just one run on four hits. Holman struck out four and walked one, as well. She also retired 11 of the final 12 hitters she faced and threw her team-high fifth complete game this year.
Sydney Dennis went 3-for-4 with a run scored and Zoe Schulte finished at 3-for-3 to lead SEMO. Sackett and Shore added two hits each.
Jessie Begley (4-4) suffered the loss. Begley scattered four hits, gave up two runs, walked four and struck out one in two innings. Reliever Madi Ogden allowed 10 hits in the final four frames.
Marisa Davis and Delaney Kell combined on a one-hitter in the nightcap.
Davis, who started and struck out seven in three innings, wound up with a no-decision.
Meanwhile, Delaney Kell (9-3) was credited with her team-high ninth victory after tossing three scoreless no-hit inning with five strikeouts out of the bullpen.
SEMO erupted for six runs in the bottom of the third inning.
Nine Redhawks came to the plate in the big inning after SEMO fell behind, 1-0.
Shore's single ignited a string of five-straight one-out hits. Tucker followed with a two-RBI double and pinch-hitter Abigail Rickermann knocked in a run on a double to left. Wrigley, Dennis and Brittany Affolter each had one RBI apiece helping put the Redhawks ahead, 6-1.
A two-RBI single by pinch-hitter Karsyn Davis in the fourth inning and a walk-off double by Wrigley in the sixth completed SEMO's fourth run-rule win in five games.
SEMO outhit MSU, 10-1, in the nightcap with nine Redhawks getting a hit. Wrigley paved the way with two hits, a run scored and two RBI.
UT MARTIN 10, TENNESSEE TECH 4
MARTIN, Tenn. -Junior Katie Dreiling did a little bit of everything for the University of Tennessee at Martin softball team to lift the squad to a 10-4 victory over Ohio Valley Conference rival Tennessee Tech on Friday afternoon.
The Skyhawks (13-17, 6-6 OVC) opened the three-game series on the right foot after exploding for six runs in the opening frame and adding on in the later innings to cruise to a 10-4 victory.
Leading the way for the Skyhawks was the play of Dreiling who did damage both in the batter's box and in the pitching circle. At the plate, Dreiling went 3-for-3 with a single and two home runs, marking the first multi-home run performance of her Skyhawk career. Meanwhile, she pitched in relief and picked up her seventh win of the season after tossing four shutout innings while allowing just one base hit.
While Dreiling was the heralded star of the game for the Skyhawks, Avry Blume and Jordyn Hustey also produced multi-hit performances with two hits each. A well-rounded effort also led to the team's scoring output as Dreiling, Hustey, Brooklynn Linneman and Kierston Nixon each drove in two runs each.
Tennessee Tech (3-32, 0-10 OVC) dropped its 12th consecutive game after giving up 13 hits to the home team. After a rough start by the starter Gracelyn Woollen (0-7), who was chased after giving up six runs in 0.2 innings of work, Callie Piper kept the Golden Eagles in the contest through the first couple frames until falling victim to four late runs.
Despite the lop-sided margin, the Golden Eagles did find nice offensive afternoon's in their own lineup with two individuals posting multi-hit games. Savannah Talley led the team by going 2-for-3 with three RBIs out of the seventh spot in the lineup while Abby Shoulders also went 2-for-3 out of the leadoff spot.
UT Martin jumped out to an early lead in the contest as the team opened up the bottom of the first with back-to-back solo home runs by Kaci Fuller and Dreiling – both clearing the centerfield wall. After the early fireworks to open the frame, the Skyhawks added four more runs later in the inning off a two-run single to left field by Nixon which was followed up by a double to the left center wall which also cleared the bases to give the home team a quick 6-0 advantage.
Tennessee Tech did not go away quietly after the shell-shock of the opening inning as Talley put the visitors on the board with a RBI single to centerfield to score Carmen Betts in the second inning. The Golden Eagles then trimmed the deficit down to two runs with a big third inning as three consecutive base knocks by Talley, Ella Bishop and Kayli Harris brought the margin down to a 6-4 score.
The margin stayed the same until the bottom of the fifth inning when the Skyhawks looked for some additional breathing room. Following a well-placed bunt single by Blume, Hustey drilled a run-scoring double over the centerfielder to add a run.
Then in the sixth inning, UT Martin effectively put the game out of reach with three runs to reach double figures in the scoring column. After hitting a solo home run in the first inning, Dreiling went deep again with a solo home run over the right field wall for her fifth homer of the season. Another run came home when pinch hitter Annie Gutierrez drove the first pitch she saw up the middle for an RBI-single. Looking for one last run, Hustey added her second RBI of the day with a single through the left side to give the Skyhawks its 10-4 advantage.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 2, SOUTHERN INDIANA 0; SOUTHERN INDIANA 8, EASTERN ILLINOIS 5
CHARLESTON, Ill. -– It took a few extra innings but Eastern Illinois winning streak in Ohio Valley Conference play was snapped in the second game of a Friday doubleheader as the Panthers split with Southern Indiana at Williams Field in Charleston.
EIU won the opener 2-0 to extend its OVC win streak to 11 straight including a 9-0 start to OVC play this year. In the second game, USI scored three in the top of the ninth inning to beat EIU 8-5.
EIU is now 20-14 overall, 9-1 in the OVC. USI is 13-17 overall, 7-6 in the OVC.
EIU 2, USI 0
Eastern Illinois righthander Olivia Price pitched a gem in the opener as she battled Southern Indiana ace Josie Newman. In the end Price tossed her second shutout of the season improving to 4-0 in OVC play and 8-2 overall as EIU won 2-0.
The Panthers offense was provided in two different innings as they manufactured their first run and had the second off the bat of Lindy Milkowski with her 11th home run of the season.
EIU went up 1-0 in the third as Maddie Swart opened the inning with a walk. A sac bunt by Aryn Henke moved Swart into scoring position. Jaylen Prichard delivered the RBI with a double to left center.
Milkowski tacked on the insurance run with a solo homer in the sixth. Newman allowed only three hits falling to 10-7 on the season.
Price allowed just two hits during her complete game in the circle. Sammie Kihega had a two-out double in the fifth but that was the farthest any Screaming Eagles player would advance in the opener. Jordan Rager had the other hit.
EIU’s three hits came from Prichard, Milkowski and Aniya Holt with a double in the fourth.
USI 8, EIU 5 (9)
In the night cap, Southern Indiana jumped out to two early leads only to watch Eastern Illinois match them. The final scoring inning could not be countered by the Panthers as USI won 8-5 in nine innings.
Lexi Fair had a big game going 3-for-5 with four RBI for the Eagles. Fair had a two-run triple in the third inning as USI jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the game.
EIU countered in its half of the third as two Panthers reached on walks and were brought home by a three-run home run by Rachel Kaufman.
USI jumped back in front with two runs in the fifth, a two run double by Hailey Gotshall driving in those runs.
EIU responded again in the sixth as they loaded the bases against the USI bullpen. Amber Cieplinski drove in the first run with double. Jaylen Prichard laced an RBI single to tie the game at 5-5 after USI’s third pitcher of the game, Josie Newman entered the game. Newman (11-7) would set the next two Panthers down to end the threat and pitched a total of 3.2 innings of one-hit relief for the win.
After a scoreless seventh and eighth inning for both teams, USI broke through a final time in the ninth inning. Fair had a two-run single and came home to score on a single by Rachel Martinez.
Alexa Rehmeier (5-4) worked 5.1 innings of relief but suffered the loss. Prichard and Aniya Holt each had two hits to lead EIU’s offense.
USI had a total of five players with multiple hits with Sammie Kihega, Mackenzie Bedrick, Caroline Stapleton and Allie Goodin all with two hits.
TENNESSEE STATE 2, SIUE 1
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE softball outhit Tennessee State 7-5 Friday but dropped the opening game of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series 2-1.
The Cougars and the Tigers will play two more times at Cougar Field Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.
TSU's Caitlyn Manus outdueled SIUE's Kelsey Ray for the victory. Manus improved to 11-11 while Ray fell to 4-8.
SIUE, 13-20 overall and 0-8 in the OVC, scored first in the contest. In the first inning, the Cougars tallied on back-to-back hits with a single up the middle by Lexi King and a double by Emma Neuman that scurried to the fence in right center.
Tennessee State, 15-18-1 overall and 6-6 in the OVC, responded with a single tally in the fifth on an RBI by Anayah Baker and a solo home run in the sixth from Onnika Spencer.