SUNDAY'S SCORES
*@Lindenwood 4, SIUE 3
*Eastern Illinois 2, @Southeast Missouri 1
*@Morehead State 6, Tennessee State 1
*@UT Martin 8, Western Illinois 0 (6)
*Western Illinois 2, @UT Martin 1
*@Tennessee Tech 2, Southern Indiana 1
*@Tennessee Tech 5, Southern Indiana 0
LINDENWOOD 4, SIUE 3
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Lindenwood softball (12-11, 2-1 OVC) took their opening Ohio Valley Conference series after picking up a 4-3 victory on Sunday against the Cougars of SIUE (9-12, 1-2 OVC). After dropping the first game of the series, the Lions picked up two straight wins.
Avery Wapp (ND) started the game for the Lions ending with a no decision after throwing the first 3.2 innings allowing two runs on six hits with two strikeouts. Amanda Weyh (W, 7-5) picked up the win in relief after throwing the final 3.1 innings allowing her lone run in the seventh inning. Kelsey Ray (L, 6-3) suffered the loss for SIUE.
Lindenwood's offense had an explosion in the third inning scoring all four of their runs off of Ray. Irelynn West had a lead-off triple for the Lions to start the inning. Madisen Noll then followed with her first collegiate home run to left field as the Lions went up 2-0.
After Tori Hatton and Weyh both reached safely on base, Dallis Darnell delivered a two RBI double in the gap to plate two more runs and give the Lions a 4-0 lead. Lindenwood had five of their eight hits in the third inning.
SIUE fought back in the top of the fourth plating two runs of their own to cut into the Lions' lead. Harley Limberger delivered a two RBI single up the middle off of Wapp to bring home two runs. Weyh would come in relief for Wapp during the fourth and get out of a jam with two runners on.
Weyh shutdown the Cougar's offense for the majority of her time on the mound. SIUE scored one more run in the top of the seventh after an RBI double by Grace Lueke, but Weyh ended the game with a groundout the Noll at shortstop to secure the win for the Lions.
West and Hatton both had two hits for the Lions while Darnell and Noll provided two RBI each. Weyh is not just six strikeouts away from becoming Lindenwood's all-time NCAA leader in strikeouts.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 2, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Eastern Illinois had some timely hitting and solid pitching on Sunday as the Panthers won their Oho Valley Conference opening series over Southeast Missouri with a 2-1 win in the rubber game of the series.
McKenzie Oslanzi improved to 9-1 tossing 5.1 innings while allowing one run in the bottom of the sixth. She struck out six batters and issued just one walk.
Rachel Kaufman pitched a perfect final 1.2 innings in the circle for the save as EIU improved to 14-8 overall, 2-1 in the OVC.
Paytience Holman (2-6) suffered the loss for SEMO allowing EIU's first run in the second inning. EIU's other run came off relief pitcher Maddie Carney with a solo home run by Jadin Justman to left center in the top of the fifth.
Karson Davey singled up the middle to open the second inning. She moved to second on a single by Oslanzi and came around to score on an RBI single to center by Sophie Cerveny.
Justman was 3-for-4 at the plate to lead EIU while Cerveny was 2-for-3.
Kat Sackett had two of the Redhawks five hits in the game as SEMO fell to 5-16 overall, 1-2 in the OVC.
MOREHEAD STATE 6, TENNESSEE STATE 1
MOREHEAD, Ky. - It was a rough day for Tennessee State pitchers and a rewarding day for MSU hitters, as the Morehead State Softball team put up six runs en route to a 6-1 victory over the Tigers on Sunday in the Ohio Valley Conference opener for both squads.
Sophomore Jessie Begley (4-1) got the win for Morehead State (7-6, 1-0). The right-hander went the full seven innings, giving up just one run on three hits, allowing two walks and striking out one. Begley has now tied her win total from last season, when she finished 4-10.
Morehead State snapped a five-game losing streak to Tennessee State as the Tigers had won eight of the last 11 in the series.
In the batter's box, the Eagles were led by junior Ilencia Lightbody, who went 1-for-2 on the day with her second home run of the year. She has reached base in nine straight games now. Junior Samantha Cervantes put together a noteworthy performance at the plate as well, going 1-for-2 with a walk and two RBI. Senior Kaytlyn Cripps also contributed for Morehead State, putting together two hits in three trips to the plate while adding a double.
Trailing 1-0, the Eagles first put runs on the board in the second inning. Junior Darlene Montoya came across to score the lone run of the inning for Morehead State and get them on the board.
Onnika Spencer got TSU into the scoring column in the top of the second on an RBI single past the pitcher's circle.
The game remained tied until the very next inning, when the Eagles got going again on offense. Cripps came across to score the lone run of the inning for Morehead State, which brought the score to 2-1 in favor of the Eagles.
Morehead State held Tennessee State scoreless before expanding its lead to 3-1 the following inning. The Eagles recorded a run on Lightbody's one-out solo home run off junior Reina Castillo.
Morehead State kept the Tigers scoreless before building on its lead in the sixth inning. The three-run frame for the Eagles was punctuated by a two-run single off the bat of Cervantes. bringing the Morehead State advantage to 6-1.
UT MARTIN 8, WESTERN ILLINOIS 0 (6); WESTERN ILLINOIS 2, UT MARTIN 1
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team kicked off Ohio Valley Conference action by splitting the first day of the three-game series against new league rival Western Illinois with an 8-0 shutout before narrowly falling 2-1 in the second half of the doubleheader.
The Skyhawks (13-9, 1-1 OVC) outhit the Leathernecks by a 12-8 margin in the twinbill while Alli Robinson paced the team with a three-hit afternoon. While also excelling in the pitching circle, the senior tandem of Katie Dreiling and Anna Hazlewood also had big days at the plate as Dreiling tallied a pair of base knocks while Hazlewood launched her second home run of the season and drove in five runs on the day.
In the circle, Dreiling picked up her fifth win of the season after allowing just one hit and striking out five batters in six shutout innings. Then in Game 2, Brooklynn Linneman was hit with the loss after allowing two runs in 3.1 innings of work before Hazlewood appeared in relief and kept the Leathernecks off the board in the final 3.2 frames.
UT Martin got on the board early with a run in the second inning off a RBI groundout by Kyrsten Brown before the squad blew the game open in the fourth inning with six runs. The fourth saw the Skyhawks tally five hits – including RBIs from Kaci Fuller and Maddi Long – before Hazlewood put the game on ice with a three-run home run to left field.
Needing just one more run to end the game in the sixth inning, the Skyhawks benefited from four walks as the Leathernecks loaded the bases before the fourth free pass of the inning brought home the finishing eighth run of the game.
The second game of the day saw Western Illinois jump out to an early advantage. Bella Alvarez played a big role in the game as she opened up the contest's scoring with a single up the middle in the first inning before stroking a solo home run to left center to give the Leathernecks a 2-0 advantage.
After the home run, the Skyhawks cut their deficit in half in the fourth inning as a single to right field by Robinson led off the inning before she came home to score two batters later on a RBI-double by Hazlewood. Unfortunately, the one run would be all the offense mustered in the second game as the Skyhawks fell by a one-score margin.
TENNESSEE TECH 2, SOUTHERN INDIANA 1; TENNESSEE TECH 5, SOUTHERN INDIANA 0
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - A season ago Tennessee Tech won just two Ohio Valley Conference games and did not claim a single series win. On Sunday, the first day of conference competition, the Golden Eagles won their first two league games and claimed the series win over Southern Indiana – a team that finished third in the conference last season.
There's still a long way to go, but it's one heck of a statement to get the conference race started as the Golden Eagles topped the Screaming Eagles 2-1 and 5-0 to sweep Sunday's twinbill.
Tech (9-6, 2-0 OVC) will try to close out the series with a sweep on Monday morning as the two teams square off once more at 11 a.m.
Mac Fitzgerald drove in three runs for the Golden Eagles in the two games as she went 4-for-8 at the plate and scoring twice. Ella Bishop batted .600 with three hits in five at-bats, but she came home to score four times.
In both games combined, the Golden Eagles collected 17 hits for seven total runs.
Lennon Spicer and Payton Wagner both picked up victories, while true freshman Emily York picked up saves in both games.
In the series opener, Spicer went 6 1/3 frames, allowing a single run in the top of the sixth inning as she scattered five hits, walking three and striking out one. York came on and closed out the top of the seventh with a walk and two strikeouts.
Bishop went 2-for-3 in the game, coming home to score both runs in the contest.
Tech scored the first run in the bottom of the second. With two down, Bishop hit a single to center field, then S.J. Talley moved her over to third with a single to right. Jordan Key collected the RBI as she hit a single into center field.
Southern Indiana (6-11, 0-2 OVC) evened the game in the top of the sixth. Lexi Fair hit a single over a leaping Fitzgerald, then Sammie Kihega hit a double to right to send Fair home.
Tech reclaimed the lead in the home half of the seventh. Bishop reached on an error at short, then took second as an error allowed her to move up on a fielder's choice on Key's batted ball. Fitzgerald put a single into left center, allowing Bishop to cross.
Fair went 2-for-2 in the game.
Josie Newman took the tough-luck loss, going six completes as she allowed two runs – one earned – on eight hits, walking two and striking out four.
In the second game, Wagner and York combined for the shutout, yielding just five hits to the Screaming Eagles – all five to different players. Wagner went five innings to claim her third win of the season, walking one and striking out three. York threw two scoreless frames, allowing one hit and striking out one among her seven batters faced.
Fitzgerald went 3-for-4 in the second game, collecting two RBI, while Carmen Betts also drove in two.
Tech took a 1-0 lead in the first inning as Betts drove in Fitzgerald with a sacrifice fly. The Golden Eagles added another run in the second as Fitzgerald drove in Bishop with a single up the middle.
Insurance runs came across for Tech in the sixth as three more came across. Fitzgerald hit a single up the middle to drive in Bishop, then Abby Shoulders hit a sacrifice fly, allowing Brooklyn Stewart to come home. Betts drove in Fitzgerald with a single to left center.
Whitley Hunter took the loss, allowing two runs on six hits as she walked four and struck out two. Raegan Gibson threw the final two innings, allowing three runs on three hits. She walked two and struck out one.