Ohio Valley Conference

GREENVILLE, S.C. - The University of Tennessee at Martin Softball team made quick work of Stonehill Sunday morning as they wrapped-up play in the 2025 Paladin Invitational at Pepsi Stadium in Greenville, South Carolina with an 8-0, five-inning win over the other set of Skyhawks.

Ava Scott got the scoring going early for UT Martin in the first with a RBI triple, that was followed by a sacrifice fly from Jordyn Hustey later in the frame to make it 2-0. UT Martin pushed the lead to 3-0 in the next inning when Carly Ward scored on an error by Stonehill.

In the third inning, sisters Ava and Dylan Scott extended UT Martin's lead to 5-0 on a pair of RBI singles that scored Kyla Harley and brought around Ava Scott. UT Martin made it 6-0 in the fifth inning when Harley scored on another Stonehill error after successfully stealing third, before Avary Makarewicz capped the scoring at eight with UT Martin's first home run of the season, that also scored Hustey.

Ashtyn Green picked up her second win of the season with a complete game shutout in which she allowed no earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts and no walks.

Kyla Harley was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored and a stolen base Sunday, while Ava Scott was 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBIs and a stolen base. UT Martin continued to be successful on the base paths against Stonehill with two and finished the weekend with 17 stolen bases, for an average of 3.7 per game.

EASTERN ILLINOIS 5, PRAIRIE VIEW A&M 2
SAN ANTONIO - Kira Manganello connected for a pair of home runs on Sunday afternoon as Eastern Illinois wrapped up play at the Incarnate Word Tournament with a 5-2 win over Prairie View A&M.

Prairie View jumped on the board first in the bottom of the first as Kearstin Tinsley led off with a single and came around to score on an RBI by Janaiya Thomas.   PV placed one more run on the board in the sixth after EIU had built a 5-1 lead.

Manganello's first blast came in the top of the second as Abbi Hatton and Abbey Crain both reached on singles.  Manganello then cleared the bases with a shot to left field.

The freshman catcher hit her second home run of the day in the top of the sixth with a two-run shot to left scoring Crain who had reached on a single.  Manganello finished 2-for-3 at the plate with five RBI.  Crain was the other Panthers player with multiple hits in the game going 2-for-3.

McKenzie Oslanzi (1-1) went the distance in the circle for her first win of the season as EIU moved to 2-3 on the season after the opening weekend tournament.

Michelle Meeks drove in the final Prairie View run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth.  Madlyne Martinez (0-1) took the loss as Prairie View fell to 2-3 to open the year.

TENNESSEE TECH 7, EVANSVILLE 4
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Evansville tied the game in the bottom of the seventh, but the Tennessee Tech softball team was able to take advantage of four Purple Ace errors – including three in the top of the eighth – to claim a 7-4 victory to wrap up play at the Furman Paladin Invitational on Sunday.

The Golden Eagles head back to Cookeville with a 3-2 record before hitting the road again next weekend for the Army tournament in Columbus, Ga.

Lainey Fitzgerald collected the win in relief as she completed final two-thirds of the seventh, yielding one hit and getting the Golden Eagles out of a bases-loaded jam. Fitzgerald allowed one hit, while walking three and striking out one. Addison Abell earned the save with a scoreless eighth inning with one hit and one strikeout.

Payton Wagner had a solid start and threw five scoreless innings after allowing two runs in the first, then was charged with the runs in the seventh. She finished the game throwing 6 1/3 innings with four runs allowed on five hits, four walks and four strikeouts.

Tech scored the first run of the game as Abby Shoulders drew a four-pitch walk, then advanced to second on Alina Schlageter's bunt, third on Sydney Kirby's grounder to short, and finally home on a passed ball during Jailynn Paderez's at-bat.

Evansville pulled ahead with a two-run triple in the bottom of the inning, but did not score again until the seventh inning.

The Golden Eagles tied the game in the second as an error at first on Makayli Harris' sacrifice bunt gave Bailee Stack enough room to cross the plate. Tech then took the lead in the fourth as Sydney Kirby hit a sacrifice fly to left field to bring in Harris.

In the seventh inning, the Golden Eagles extended their lead to 4-2 as Paderez and Abbee Klinefelter hit back-to-back doubles to plate the run. However, a sequence of a walk, back-to-back singles, then two more walks pushed two Evansville runs across to knot the affair up and send the game to extra innings.

Tech scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning. Shoulders reached on an error at third, then Schlageter had a bunt single to third. Kirby roped a single up the middle to put runners at first and second as Shoulders crossed the plate.

Paderez grounded the ball to short, but it was misplayed trying to make the play at second, loading the bases with Schlageter at third, Kirby at second and Paderez reaching on the unsuccessful fielder's choice Klinefelter hit the ball to short and it resulted in another error, allowing Schlageter and pinch-runner Bella Ochoa to score.

The defense held in the bottom of the eighth as a leadoff walk was erased at second on a fielder's choice, then Abell coaxed a fly out to center field. A wild pitch allowed the runner to take second, then a single back to the circle put runners at the corners. Abell then got the final out swinging to end the contest and send Tech home on a winning note.

Klinefelter ended the day with three hits and an RBI, while Paderez went 2-for-4 at the plate. Kirby collected two RBI on a 1-for-4 day, while Shoulders, Schlageter, Ella Bishop, Fitzgerald and Harris all collected base hits.

SIUE 7, UMASS LOWELL 1
SAN ANTONIO - SIUE softball collected 11 hits Sunday and finished the UTSA Tournament with a 7-1 victory over UMass Lowell.

SIUE closed out the season-opening tournament at Roadrunner Field with a 2-3 record. The Cougars next travel to the Lions Classic II for a three-day tournament in Commerce, Texas, and will face Rutgers (twice), Abilene Christian, East Texas A&M and Iowa. The Lions Classic II Tournament begins Feb. 14.

The Cougars scored early and often Sunday against UMass Lowell with three runs in the first inning and two more in the second.

Anna Henderson provided the first blow with an RBI single that drove home Lauren Yslava. It was the team-leading ninth time in five games that Yslava had scored.

Madison Kearns added a two-run single in the first inning that brought home Anna Henderson and Kaylynn Salyars.

SIUE's lead extended to 5-0 in the second inning when Anna Henderson connected once again with a two-RBI single up the middle that drove home Salyars and Juztyne Torres.

SIUE's pitching staff of Avery Arwood and Emma Henderson combined for a six-hitter. Emma Henderson took the win, her second of the season, after entering the game during the fourth inning.

The Cougars added two more tallies in the fourth inning. Yslava doubled to lead off the inning, stole third base and scored on a throwing error. Seconds later Salyars unleashed her first home run of the season, a blast to left field.

Salyars led the SIUE offense with three hits. Yslava, Anna Henderson and Kaylin Fahy also finished with two hits each.

PRESBYTERIAN 9, MOREHEAD STATE 6
CLINTON, S.C. - Led by Kendra Lewis' three hits, Morehead State continued its stellar offensive weekend production, but it was not enough as the Eagles fell to host Presbyterian 9-6 on Sunday in the tournament finale.

Emma Solis (0-1) got the ball to start for Morehead State (0-5) and took the loss. Riley Burney was a bright spot for the Eagles, coming out of the bullpen and throwing 3.2 innings, giving up one run on two hits.

In addition to her three hits, Lewis had a double and an RBI to lead the Eagles. Delaney Overstreet furnished a noteworthy day at the plate as well, going 1-for-3 with a walk and two RBI. Nyla Doiron also chipped in for Morehead State, putting together one hit in four trips to the plate while adding two RBI.

The Eagles got the scoring started early, putting one run on the board in the top of the first inning. Morehead State scored three runs in the frame, highlighted by a two-run single off the bat of Overstreet.

The Eagles lost the lead they built in the first, but got back on the board in the third trailing 4-3. Morehead State scored three runs in the frame, buoyed by a two-run single off the bat of Doiron, which brought the Eagles lead to 6-4. The Eagles were unable to hold the lead, as Presbyterian scored five times over the remaining four innings to grab the 9-6 win.

TENNESSEE STATE 12, SAMFORD 9
TROY 6, TENNESSEE STATE 1
TROY, Ala. - The Tennessee State softball team split its final two contests at the Troy Invitational with a win over Samford 12-9 and a 6-1 deficit to host Troy on Sunday. 

Onnika Spencer put together a brilliant showing at the plate Sunday, hitting two home runs to help lead the Tennessee State Tigers past the Samford Bulldogs 12-9.

Tianna Salcido (1-1) picked up the victory out of the bullpen for Tennessee State (2-2). The right-hander went 5.1 innings, giving up one run on four hits.

Spencer went 2-for-4 at the plate, supplementing her two home runs with five RBIs.  Jace Jackson added to Spencer's awesome power-hitting performance by going 1-for-2 with two RBI along with one walk. Freshman Anayah Baker-Rowell also chipped in for the Tigers, going 1-for-4 with a walk and two RBI.

The Tigers got the scoring started early, putting two runs on the board in the top of the first inning. Tennessee State plated two runs when Spencer left the yard with freshman Mikayla Duke aboard.

The Bulldogs then rallied to score seven runs and take a 7-2 lead before the Tigers got back on the board in the second. The Tennessee State offense exploded for seven runs, highlighted by a two-run single off the bat of Baker-Rowell and a two-run single from Jackson, which brought the score to 9-7 in favor of the Tigers.

Samford clawed back to tie the ballgame at nine before Tennessee State reclaimed a 12-9 advantage in the fifth inning. The Tigers scored three runs, all of them coming on a three-run homer from Spencer that scored Duke and Jackson. The score remained 12-9 for the rest of the game, as Tennessee State held on for the win.

Tennessee State  struggled on in the event finale, falling to the Troy Trojans by final score of 6-1.

Freshman Reina Castillo (1-2) got the ball to start for Tennessee State (2-3) and took the loss.

The Tigers were trailing 2-0 in the sixth inning when they first put runs on the board. Tennessee State got an RBI single from Anayah Baker-Rowell, scoring freshman Jace Jackson from second base. The Tigers were unable to get any closer, as Troy added four runs to their tally on the way to a 6-1 final.

WESTERN ILLINOIS 5, BUTLER 4
DEPAUL 3, WESTERN ILLINOIS 2
ROSEMONT, Ill. - Western Illinois earned a hard-fought split in their doubleheader at The Dome in Rosemont, Illinois, on February 9, 2025, defeating Butler in the opener before falling to DePaul in extra innings.

In the first game, Western Illinois secured a 5-4 victory over Butler with a strong offensive showing and clutch pitching. The Leathernecks scored three key runs in the fifth inning to take control of the game, capitalizing on timely hits and Butler's defensive miscues. Butler responded with a run in the sixth, but Western Illinois held firm to close out the win. The Leathernecks' pitching staff worked around 12 Butler hits, stranding 10 runners. Payton Brown's clutch home run in the bottom of the 7th was key to the Leathernecks successful win over Butler. 

In the second game, Western Illinois faced DePaul in a tightly contested battle but fell 3-2 in eight innings. The Leathernecks managed just five hits, scratching across runs in the fourth and eighth innings. DePaul delivered the decisive blow in the bottom of the eighth, walking off with the win. Western Illinois' pitchers battled through 7.2 innings, giving up eight hits but allowing just one earned run.