Day two of the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference Softball Championsip opens with the top two seeds in action. No. 2 Southeast Missouri face No. 3 Tennessee State at 10:00 a.m., followed by No. 1 Eastern Illinois squaring off with No. 4 Southern Indiana at 12:30 p.m.
The tournament will be held at the
Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria, Illinois. All games will be streamed on ESPN+.
GAME 4: #2 Southeast Missouri 9, #3 Tennessee State 2
Box Score |
Live Stats |
Live Video |
Photo Gallery
GAME 5: #1 Eastern Illinois 7, #4 Southern Indiana 3
Box Score |
Live Stats |
Live Video |
Photo Gallery
GAME 6: #3 Tennessee State 8, #8 SIUE 7
Box Score |
Live Stats |
Live Video |
Photo Gallery
GAME 7: #4 Southern Indiana 10, #7 Tennessee Tech 9 (10)
Box Score |
Live Stats |
Live Video |
Photo Gallery
#2 SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 9, #7 TENNESSEE STATE 2
PEORIA, Ill. - Kynzie Wrigley and Aubrie Shore combined for three hits and six RBI, and #2 Southeast Missouri (26-24) scored six runs in the late innings to blow by #3 Tennessee State (25-24), 9-2, Thursday morning at the Ohio Valley Conference Softball Championship.
SEMO advances to face the winner of #1 Eastern Illinois and #4 Southern Indiana Friday at 1:30 p.m., CT.
The Redhawks held a slight 3-2 edge in a tight ballgame through four innings before putting the pressure on the Tigers late.
SEMO loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the fifth when Paige Halliwill started things off with a single to left center. Kat Sackett and Halliwill were safe at first and second on a fielder's choice before Marissa Peek walked to pack the bases full of Redhawks. Aubrie Shore followed with a base hit to score Halliwill and Peek touched home on a sacrifice fly by Wrigley to widen SEMO's lead to 5-2.
The Redhawks loaded the bases again in the sixth. Sydney Dennis and Tatum Gerwitch reached on back-to-back infield hits. Two plays later, Halliwill singled to short. TSU pitcher Caitlyn Manus fielded a ground ball by Sackett and threw the ball of catcher Onnika Spencer's glove in attempt to get an out at home plate. Instead, two runs scored on the error. Peek lifted a sacrifice fly and Shore delivered a RBI-single to give the Redhawks a seven-run advantage.
All four of SEMO's runs in the sixth inning were unearned and that buried the Tigers for good.
SEMO took its first lead of the game on a two-out double by Wrigley in the home half of the first. Wrigley smacked her fourth double of the season in the left center gap to score both Sackett and Shore.
The Redhawks added to their lead with one other unearned run in the bottom of the second.
Gerwitz reached on an error, went to second on a groundout and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Halliwill. Gerwitz then scored on a wild pitch to give SEMO a 3-1 cushion.
The Tigers pulled within a run in the top of the third inning with an unearned tally of their own. A wild play that included two errors allowed Ryla Traylor to score tightening things up at 3-2.
TSU left eight runners on base and struggled with runners in scoring position going just 2-for-10 I those situations. Defensively, the Tigers committed four errors.
Second-Team All-OVC pitcher Paytience Holman (15-9) claimed her 15th win of the season in yet another strong performance. Holman pitched out of a bases loaded jam when the Redhawks were up a run in the top of the fifth.
Holman pitched her team-high ninth complete game allowing just two runs on six hits. Along the way, she recorded seven strikeouts and held TSU scoreless in the final four innings of the contest.
SEMO beat Manus (11-13) for the second time in 2024. Manus gave up nine runs on nine hits, struck out two and walked three in six innings. Five of the runs charged to Manus were unearned.
Offensively, the Redhawks finished with nine hits. Halliwill, Shore and Gerwitz each had two hits to lead the way. Six different SEMO players had a hit with Wrigley, Brittany Affolter and Dennis close behind with one apiece.
#1 EASTERN ILLINOIS 7, #4 SOUTHERN INDIANA 3
PEORIA, Ill. - Jadin Justman connected for a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning breaking a 3-3 tie and lifting Eastern Illinois to a 7-3 win over Southern Indiana.
EIU trailed 3-2 heading into the bottom of the fourth when Rachel Kaufman singled to right field scoring Marama Makea. Justman followed with a two-run shot giving the Panthers a lead they would hold on to improving to 39-15 on the season.
The Panthers opened the game with a run in the first inning as Kaufman had an RBI double scoring Kendall Grover. Kaufman was 3-for-3 in the game with two RBI.
Justman finished the game 3-for-4 with three RBI adding an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth.
Southern Indiana scored two runs in the second inning with a two-run single to center by Kate Satkoski as the Screaming Eagles took a 2-1 lead. They expanded that to a 3-1 lead with an RBI double by Sydney Long in the third.
Olivia Price (11-9) entered in relief in the third allowing just three hits with six strike outs to pick up her fourth straight OVC Tournament win in the circle.
Josie Newman (19-9) took the loss for USI. Sammie Kihega and Satkoski both had two hits for USI which fell to 23-21.
#3 TENNESSEE STATE 8, #8 SIUE 7
PEORIA, Ill. - Playing in their second game of the day, the No. 3 seeded Tennessee State softball team responded from down 7-2 in the seventh inning to win in exciting fashion, scoring six runs in the top half to secure an 8-7 victory over No. 8 SIUE in an elimination game of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament on Thursday.
Holly Ayala picked up her second win of tournament after coming out of the bullpen. The right-hander went 4.2 innings, giving up two runs, both of them earned, on nine hits, allowing one walk and striking out one.
In the batter's box, the Tigers were led by Kailyn Jean-Baptiste, who went 1-for-3 on the day with a home run, a walk, and two RBI. Laila Armstrong put together a noteworthy day at the plate as well, going 2-for-3 with a triple, a walk, and an RBI. Anayah Baker-Rowell also chipped in for Tennessee State, putting together one hit in three trips to the plate while adding a triple, a walk and an RBI.
The Tigers got the scoring started early, putting pushing across two runs in the inning in the top of the first inning.
The Tigers lost the lead they built in the first, but got back on the board in the seventh trailing 7-2. The Tennessee State offense exploded for six runs, highlighted by a two-run home run off the bat of Jean-Baptiste, which brought the score to 8-7 in favor of the Tigers. Alexis Woods reached base to start the inning with a walk, followed by Peyton Fointno who reached on a single. Rylie Giddens was able to plate Woods, making it a 7-3 game, followed by Armstrong who singled in Fointno making it 7-4.
Baker-Rowell hit a bases-clearing triple that pulled the Tigers within two as Armstrong came around to score. The big inning continued as Onnika Spencer followed with another single to score Baker-Rowell, followed by Jean-Baptiste's first big fly of the season.
The score remained 8-7 for the rest of the game, as Tennessee State held on for the win.
#4 SOUTHERN INDIANA 10, #7 TENNESSEE TECH 9 (10)
PEORIA, Ill. - University of Southern Indiana Softball bounced back from a 7-3 loss against Eastern Illinois University at the start of Thursday's action from the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament to keep its season alive with a 10-9 victory over Tennessee Tech University in 10 innings Thursday night.
The day started with Southern Indiana (24-21, 16-11 OVC), the no. 4 seed, taking on top-seeded Eastern Illinois (39-15, 22-5 OVC). The Panthers tallied the game's first run in the bottom of the first inning on an RBI double following a leadoff hit-by-pitch. Southern Indiana answered right away in its next trip to the dish in the top of the second inning, as freshman Kate Satkoski (Lanesville, Indiana) delivered a two-RBI hit up the middle to put USI in front, 2-1.
In the top of the third inning, freshman infielder Sydney Long (Haubstadt, Indiana) got an RBI knock to push the Screaming Eagles ahead 3-1. After USI scored its third run, Eastern Illinois made a pitching change. The Panthers' OVC Freshman of the Year pitcher Mackenzie Oslanzi was switched out for senior pitcher Olivia Price.
The Panthers took back the momentum in the bottom of the fourth, retaking a 5-3 lead with a home run in the inning, and then added another pair of runs in the sixth to lead 7-3.
Southern Indiana tried to come back in the top of the seventh inning, getting two baserunners on with consecutive one-out singles. However, the USI rally fell short, as the Screaming Eagles suffered their first loss of the tournament and were forced to play an elimination game against 7-seeded Tennessee Tech (23-24, 12-13 OVC) on Thursday evening.
Offensively, USI scored three runs on seven hits against Eastern Illinois. Satkoski went 2-3 with two RBIs, and senior catcher Sammie Kihega (Greenfield, Indiana) also registered a couple of hits with two runs.
Junior pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) was dealt the loss. Newman lasted five innings, striking out three and allowing seven runs in the start.
Price moved to 11-9 with the win. Price tossed 4.1 shutout innings in relief of Oslanzi, who went the first 2.2 innings in the no-decision.
In the must-win nightcap against Tennessee Tech, USI got an early boost after Satkoski caught a fly ball and then threw a dart home to get a double play. Southern Indiana responded on the offensive end with a run in the top of the second inning off a productive RBI out from senior outfielder Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana).
USI's early 1-0 advantage did not last long with the Golden Eagles striking for five runs in the bottom of the second inning, including four on a grand slam, to surge ahead 5-1.
The Screaming Eagles were not fazed, posting a five-run inning in the top of the third to cancel out Tennessee Tech's big second inning. After another RBI hit by Satkoski, going for two bases, a bases-loaded walk brought USI within two, 5-3. With the bases still loaded and after a pitching change by Tennessee Tech, it was Newman in the designated player spot who delivered the next key hit. Newman served a ball into the left-center gap to the fence and cleared the bases with a double to propel Southern Indiana back in front, 6-5.
The offensive scoring continued in the bottom of the third, as Tennessee Tech received a two-out three-RBI triple to retake the lead, 8-6.
Southern Indiana mounted a charge in the top of the fifth inning, loading the bases with two outs, but Tennessee Tech got out of the jam and maintained a two-run lead. It was only an inning later when USI cashed in. With runners at first and second base, Kihega drove both runners in with a double in the alley and knot the game up at eight in the top of the sixth.
Each side exchanged a run in the bottom of the sixth inning and top of the seventh inning, respectively, to keep the game tied at nine. The contest went on to extra innings.
Neither team could muster a run in the eighth and ninth frames. In the top of the tenth, USI got its go-ahead run. Junior outfielder Kennedy Nalley (Huntingburg, Indiana) reached base on a dropped fly ball by the Golden Eagles. Senior first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) followed by driving a ball into the right-center gap, allowing Nalley to score from first base and put USI up for good, 10-9.
Fair recorded two doubles and two RBIs in the game. Satkoski continued her solid day with two hits, a run, and an RBI. Newman tallied two hits and three RBIs, while Kihega notched two RBIs and a run scored. USI posted 10 runs on 11 hits.
USI used all three of its pitchers in the game. Newman was the last one to take the ball in relief, getting the win to go to 21-9 on the year. The junior pitched 7.1 innings in relief with only one unearned run allowed.
The loss went to Tennessee Tech's freshman reliever Emily York (8-5). York threw the last eight innings for the Golden Eagles.