SATURDAY'S SCORES
*Southern Indiana 9, @Western Illinois 1 (5)
*@Western Illinois 6, Southern Indiana 3
*@SIUE 8, Morehead State 0 (5)
*@SIUE 8, Morehead State 0 (5)
*Southeast Missouri 4, @UT Martin 0
*@UT Martin 3, Southeast Missouri 1
*@Eastern Illinois 3, Lindenwood 1
*Tennessee Tech at Tennessee State -
RAINED OUT
SOUTHERN INDIANA 9, WESTERN ILLINOIS 1 (5); WESTERN ILLINOIS 6, SOUTHERN INDIANA 3
MACOMB, Ill. - Western entered the final weekend of the season on Saturday, looking to take down a fourth-place Southern Indiana squad highlighted by the conference's top arm. Josie Newman, the OVC's leader in strikeouts, pitched five innings of one-run ball as the Screaming Eagles took game one. The Leathernecks bounced back in game two, highlighted by a third inning where the Leathernecks scored four runs with two outs.
Western Illinois starter Lillie Wools started off the day allowing a double in the first but struck out the final batter of the frame to keep USI off the board early. Southern Indiana catcher Sammie Kihega hit a towering shot to left field to open up the scoring in the second frame, and they'd increase their lead to two on an RBI single.
Valerie Combs, the freshman backstop who had a big day on Tuesday against Kansas City, stayed hot by belting a double that bounced off the left field wall to start the bottom of the second for the Leathernecks. A two-out single from fellow freshman Sophia Sanchez brought home Combs, reducing the Screaming Eagle lead to one.
After Wools stranded two runners in the third, Western got a pair of baserunners in the bottom half of the frame, including a single and stolen base from Malia Robertson. The Leathernecks could not tie though, bringing the game to the fourth.
In the fourth, the game started to slip away from Western, as USI outfielder Kennedy Nalley hit a solo home run to bring their lead back to two. Four singles, two walks, and a hit by pitch later, the Screaming Eagle lead ballooned to eight, where it stayed for the rest of the game. Megan Leonard reached on an error in the fourth, but no other Leathernecks reached base safely in the game as USI took the series opener, 9-1 in five innings.
Western looked to flip the script in game two, as Leatherneck senior Emily Price got the start in the circle. Price allowed a hit in the first but also struck out a batter, doing the same in the second frame as Robertson made a spectacular catch to keep the game tied. Combs drew a leadoff walk, then got all the way to third on a sacrifice bunt from Sanchez. She scored on a groundout to take the lead, ending the second with Western in front by a single run.
After a pair of outs to start the bottom of the third, a single from Robertson invoked a two-out rally that saw six more batters come up to the plate following her hit. A single from Rylee Boone moved Robertson to second, then senior Bella Alvarez singled to bring home the second run of the game. Combs hit another single for the Leathernecks, but this one cleared the bases as an errant throw from the Screaming Eagle first baseman moved Combs to third. Sanchez hit the Leathernecks' fifth straight single, which scored Combs and increased the lead to five.
Southern Indiana added a fourth-inning run, but the Western bats stayed hot as Gabriela Drager and Beth Pavy singled, with Drager scoring on a hit from Rylee Boone.
Emily Price handled her business until the top of the seventh when three hits in a late two-out rally cut the lead to three. A foul popup to Combs ended the game with the Leathernecks grabbing their fifth conference victory of the season.
SIUE 8, MOREHEAD STATE 0 (5); SIUE 8, MOREHEAD STATE 0 (5)
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - With a pair of swift two-hit shutouts Saturday, SIUE softball has gained its position at next week's Ohio Valley Conference Championships in Peoria, Illinois.
SIUE defeated Morehead State 8-0 in five innings in both contests at Cougar Field. Kelsey Ray and Sydney Baalman each tossed two-hit shutouts, and the Cougar offense provided a walk-off hit in both contests.
SIUE also celebrated its four seniors before the game, honoring Jenna Herron, Kelsey Ray, Sydney Baalman and Grace Lueke.
SIUE's pitching was front and center. Ray struck out seven while Baalman fanned six in the nightcap. Sorden said the duo's demeanor on and off the field have been exemplary.
In game one, SIUE collected six hits the first time through the lineup and wasted little time taking control. The Cougars tallied four runs in the first and two more in the second.
Paige Rocha and Lauren Yslava each had three hits for the Cougars. Maleah Blomenkamp and Jenna Herron each had two hits.
Rocha collected her 75th hit of the season in game two, breaking her own single-season record in the Division I era.
Herron provided the game winner in the bottom of the fifth as she singled to center field as Rocha raced home.
In game two, the Cougars rallied for six runs in the second inning. At one point in the inning, SIUE reached base on consecutive bunts by Piper Montgomery, Danielle Shuey and Kaylynn Salyers. After a Abby Harvell pinch ran for Montgomery, Rocha would bring home all three on a bases-loaded blast to left field.
Montgomery drove in two runs in the game with her second putting the Cougars up 7-0 in the third.
Emma Henderson provided the game winner in the bottom of the fifth. Lueke scored on a single up the middle by Henderson.
SIUE is now 18-32 overall and 10-16 in the OVC. Morehead State dropped to 11-28 overall and 5-21 in the OVC.
SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI 4, UT MARTIN 0; UT MARTIN 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - After dropping the series opener by a 4-0 margin, the University of Tennessee at Martin softball team rallied in the second half of Saturday's doubleheader and snapped Ohio Valley Conference rival Southeast Missouri's 10-game conference winning streak with a 3-1 victory.
The Skyhawks improved to 29-21 on the season while boasting a 14-12 record in OVC action. UT Martin struggled to find much offensive rhythm in the first game of the series before fighting back to score three unanswered runs in the second half of the twinbill and split the opening day of the three-game set.
Pitching was strong for the Skyhawks on the afternoon with Brooklynn Linneman picking up her ninth win of the season behind a dominant pitching performance. While already ranking as the OVC's top pitcher in terms of ERA, she lowered her number with zero earned runs in seven innings of work. Meanwhile, Kiersten Nixon was also impressive in relief in the series opener, allowing just two hits in three scoreless frames.
Senior Anna Blanton had a nice day as she was one of seven Skyhawks to earn their bachelor's degree at the morning's graduation ceremony before rattling off a pair of base hits in the middle game of the series. Along with Blanton's game-tying single in Game 2, Alli Robinson and Nixon also drove in runs for the home squad.
Southeast Missouri (25-23, 19-7 OVC) looked to keep its championship hopes alive in the series opener by jumping out to an early advantage. Just four batters into the game, designated player Kate Sackett turned on a pitch and launched it over the right field wall to give SEMO a three-run advantage.
The Redhawks then added to their margin with another home run padding their lead as Marissa Peek launched a solo home run to left field to make it a 4-0 contest.
UT Martin had runners on base down the stretch, but could not figured out Paytience Holman who improved to 14-8 on the season behind a shutout performance.
Both teams were locked in a scoreless tie until SEMO jumped out in front with a run in the fourth inning. After being hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, Paige Halliwill stole second and advanced to third on a groundout. Stationed 60 feet down the line, Halliwill later came home to score when a failed pickoff attempt by the catcher deflected off the SEMO batter and squirted away, allowing the go-ahead runner to score from third.
The Skyhawks found the game's equalizer in the fifth inning when Robinson reached on a dropped fly ball before being relieved by pinch runner Kyla Harley. Following a pitching change, Kyrsten Brown moved the runner over to third with a bunt single before Blanton laid down a bunt single of her own to score the game-tying run.
The defensive wheels fell off for the Redhawks in the sixth inning and the Skyhawks capitalized. Back-to-back fielding errors keyed a big frame for the home squad as Robinson and Nixon later both drove in a pair of runs with balls that never left the infield to take a 3-1 advantage.
With their first lead in hand of the day, the Skyhawks leaned on Linneman to finish what she started and did just that with a 1-2-3 inning to close out the victory.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, LINDENWOOD 1
CHARLESTON, Ill. - A senior day send off for Eastern Illinois softball as the Panthers honored the six members of their senior class with 3-1 win over Lindenwood clinching at least a share of the Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship.
EIU improved to 36-15 overall, 20-5 in the OVC and clinched at least a share of the OVC title, their third, with a late loss by Southeast Missouri. Lindenwood fell to 25-22 overall, 13-12 in the OVC.
While EIU honored is seniors post-game, it was freshman McKenzie Oslanzi (21-4) who starred in the circle tossing a complete game allowing just two hits.
Lindenwood scored its lone run of the game in the sixth on an RBI ground out by Irelynn West that scored Dallis Darnell. Darnell opened the inning with a walk.
EIU scored all its runs in the bottom of the fifth against Lions starter Avery Wapp (9-11).
Oslanzi opened the inning with a single to center with pinch runner Emily Konkel moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by Sophia Olman. Senior Marama Makea followed with a single to center advancing to second on the throw placing runners at second and third with one out.
Kendall Grover, the OVC leader in RBI, added two more to her season total with a two-run single through the left side. She would come around to score the Panthers third run on an RBI single by senior Rachel Kaufman. EIU collected all four its hits in the game in the fifth inning.
Mya Bethany and Ashley Gerber picked up the two hits for Lindenwood.
TENNESSEE STATE vs. TENNESSEE TECH - POSTPONED
NASHVILLE - Weather condintions in the Nashville area forced the cancellation of Saturday's twin bill. The two teams will play two games on Sunday, with game time for the opener set for 9:00 a.m. CT.