Four teams enter day three of the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference Softball Championsip, but only two will advance to the finals on Saturday. Friday's action begins with No. 3 Tennessee State taking on No. 4 Southern Indiana in an elimination game at 11:00 a.m. CT. The second game of the day is a winners bracket showdown between No. 1 Eastern Illinois and No. 2 Southeast Missouri. The victor moves onto the finals while the other will faceoff against the Tennessee State / Southern Indiana winner.
The tournament will be held at the
Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria, Illinois. All games will be streamed on ESPN+.
GAME 9: #4 Southern Indiana 4, #3 Tennessee State 1
Box Score |
Live Stats |
Live Video |
Photo Gallery
GAME 10: #2 Southeast Missouri 10, #1 Eastern Illinois 1 (5)
Box Score |
Live Stats |
Live Video |
Photo Gallery
GAME 11: #1 Eastern Illinois 3, #4 Southern Indiana 2 (8)
Box Score |
Live Stats |
Live Video |
Photo Gallery
#4 SOUTHERN INDIANA 4, #2 TENNESSEE STATE 1
PEORIA, Ill. - University of Southern Indiana Softball avoided elimination in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament early Friday with a 4-1 victory against Tennessee State University, but the Screaming Eagles' deepest-ever run in the OVC Tournament came up a game short of a championship-round appearance late Friday after a 3-2 loss in eight innings against Eastern Illinois University.
In the morning matinee against no. 3 Tennessee State (26-25), Southern Indiana's bats were working from the first pitch in the top of the first inning. Back-to-back singles by the top of the order got things rolling. A few batters later, freshman infielder Sydney Long (Haubstadt, Indiana) drove in the first run before a productive RBI out by junior infielder Hailey Gotshall (Lucerne, Indiana) put USI up 2-0. Then junior Whitley Hunter (Nashville, Illinois), hitting in the designated player spot, brought home two more runs on a hit to the opposite field. The 4-seeded Screaming Eagles tallied four runs on four hits in the top of the first.
The game turned into a defensive pitching duel. Both starting pitchers, junior Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) for USI and senior Cailtyn Manus for Tennessee State, settled into a groove. The two hurlers posted zeroes on the scoreboard until the seventh inning when the Tigers tallied a solo home run, but Newman closed the door on Tennessee State after that.
USI scored its four runs on nine hits with Long leading the way with three hits and Hunter with two RBIs.
Newman earned her 22nd win of the season, allowing one run off three hits with a pair of strikeouts in the complete game. Tennessee State's Manus dropped to 12-13 after also going the distance.
#2 SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 10, #1 EASTERN ILLINOIS 1 (5)
PEORIA, Ill. - #2 Southeast Missouri (27-24) pounded out 11 hits and used a five-run fourth inning to run-rule #1 Eastern Illinois (39-16), 10-1, Friday afternoon at the Ohio Valley Conference Softball Championship.
SEMO, the only unbeaten team left in this year's tournament, advances to face the winner of EIU and #4 Southern Indiana for the 2024 title Saturday.
The Redhawks are in the OVC Tournament final for the third time under Head Coach Mark Redburn. SEMO's other championship round appearances came in 2019 and 2021.
Already up 4-0, SEMO sent 12 hitters to the plate in its crushing fourth-inning rout.
Brittany Affolter started the surge with a double to left field. Affolter's hit quickly chased OVC Freshman of the Year pitcher McKenzie Oslanzi.
Moments after Karlie McKenzie took over for Oslanzi in the circle, Abigail Rickermann walked and Paige Halliwill loaded the bases with an infield single. Aubrie Shore followed with a two-RBI single and Kat Sackett drove in two more with her first triple of the season. Sackett later touched home on a wild pitch to give SEMO its 9-0 advantage.
SEMO rattled EIU for three runs in the top of the second inning to grab an early lead.
With one out, Marissa Peek doubled down the left field line. On the next play, shortstop Briana Gonzalez fielded a routine ground ball by Brooklyn Saysoff and launched her throw over first baseman Rachel Kaufman. Peek advanced to third and Saysoff moved to second on the mishap.
Peek scored the game's first run on a passed ball and Saysoff touched home when Sydney Dennis reached on a second error by the Panthers. Rickermann then drove in Dennis on a two-out single to put the Redhawks ahead, 3-0.
More shaky defense by EIU helped SEMO get another run in third.
Sackett belted a one-out single up the middle and moved into scoring position on another throwing error by Gonzalez. With runners at second and third, Dennis legged out an infield single and Sackett scored to push SEMO's lead to 4-0.
In her first career postseason start, freshman Maddie Carney (6-6) went the distance. Carney was outstanding allowing only one run on five base hits in five innings. She recorded three strikeouts, as well.
Oslanzi (21-5) fell to her fifth loss of the season. She scattered six hits and gave up five runs in three innings.
Halliwill went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and Sackett finished at 2-for-4 with two runs, a triple and two RBI. Dennis was 2-for-3 with a run and one RBI. Eight of the nine starters in SEMO's lineup had a hit and the Redhawk defense did not commit an error.
#1 EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, #4 SOUTHERN INDIANA 2 (8)
PEORIA, Ill. - Eastern Illinois softball tied the school record for wins at the Division I level as the Panthers won an elimination game against Southern Indiana to advance to the OVC Championship game on Saturday.
EIU beat Southern Indiana 3-2 in eight innings after losing in the winners bracket earlier in the day to Southeast Missouri.
EIU improves to 40-16 overall. USI ends its season at 25-22. EIU faces Southeast Missouri in the OVC Championship game on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Both teams scored on solo home runs in the fourth inning. Kendall Grover hit her 10th of the season for the Panthers while Josie Newman connected for Southern Indiana.
In the circle Olivia Price outdueled Newman for the win. Price improved to 12-9 on the season winning her fifth consecutive OVC Tournament game. Newman fell to 22-10.
In the eighth EIU scored two in its half of the inning. Sophia Olman led the inning off with a double to left center. EIU loaded the bases with bunt singles by Marama Makea and Aryn Henke.
Rachel Kaufman drove home the first run with a sacrifice fly followed by an RBI single by Jadin Justman.
In the bottom of the eighth USI scored its run on an RBI by Newman who went 3-for-4 in the game. Briana Gonzalez then made the biggest defensive play of the game for EIU, throwing out Lexi Fair at the plate for the second out. Price coaxed a pop up in the infield for the final out.
Eastern Illinois dropped its winner bracket game against No. 2 seed Southeast Missouri, falling 10-1 in five innings.
SEMO scored three runs in the second before opening the game with a five-run, fourth inning. Aubrie Shore and Kat Sackett both drove in two runs for the Redhawks in the game.
EIU's defense committed four errors in the game allowing five unearned runs in the contest.
EIU scored its run in the bottom of the fourth with Sophia Olman driving in pinch-runner Emily Konkel.
McKenzie Oslanzi (21-5) suffered the loss for EIU. Kendall Grover had two of the Panthers five hits in the contest.
Maddie Carney (6-6) picked up the win as SEMO improved to 27-24 overall.