Ohio Valley Conference

CLINTON, S.C. - The Morehead State softball team scored 19 runs and tallied 23 hits but still came up on the short end of its opening two games of the Blue Hose Invitational on Saturday at the PC Softball Complex in Clinton, S.C.
 
The Eagles played the first two of four Saturday games at tournament, beginning the day by falling 16-3 in five innings to Western Michigan and then battling down to the wire before dropping a 19-16 decision to Le Moyne.
 
MSU's offense was on fire as it recorded two doubles, one triple and four home runs over the two outings. No Eagle made a bigger first impression than junior catcher Sydney Farmer, who finished the afternoon 6-for-8, with six runs and five RBI. She also had five of the team's seven extra-base hits.
 
In the outing with LeMoyne (1-2), the teams combined to score 35 runs, scoring in all but four of the 14 half innings. Eight of the nine Eagles to come to the plate had at least once hit, with seven of them scoring and six tallying an RBI.
 
Morehead State (0-2) jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning of that game. However, the Dolphins countered with nine runs in the top of the second and never relinquished the lead. The Eagles closed the gap to 9-8 in the bottom of the frame. Le Moyne added two more runs in the third and then tacked on seven in the fourth. MSU drew back within four by scoring four times in the fourth and once each in the fifth and six.
 
The Dolphins added an insurance run in the top of the seventh after a sacrifice fly, before the Blue and Gold closed out the outing courtesy of a two-run home run by junior second baseman Sage VanDemark that literally bounced off the top of the foul pole.
 
In the bottom of the first, junior center fielder Maddy Christopher led off with an infield single and sophomore left fielder Sophie Collins reached on an error. Junior shortstop Sela Pickford put the Eagles on the board after her single to left field to drive in Christopher. Two batters later, VanDemark singled to center to plate both Collins and Pickford. Senior first baseman Jordan Donato singled left field to bring in VanDemark. Junior designated player Kylie Mann capped off the scoring with a single just inside the right-field line to score Donato.
 
The Dolphins sent 14 batters to the plate in the second, collecting nine hits, including a pair of doubles. In the fourth, they began the inning with eight straight hits, before lining out into a double play.
 
In the bottom of the latter frame, the Eagles' offense returned. Pickford drew a one-out walk and then stole second. Farmer doubled to center field, scoring Pickford. VanDemark singled up the middle to plate Farmer. Sophomore third baseman Victoria Spencer singled to right field. Later in the inning, Mann walked, senior right fielder Taikibrea Campbell singled up the middle to drive in Donato (who had reached on a fielder's choice) and VanDemark as the Blue and Gold closed to within six at 18-12.
 
MSU got a pair of solo homers in the fifth and sixth, with Farmer's shot going over the fence in left with one out in the fifth and then Campbell leading off the sixth with a shot over the wall in right-center.
 
In the seventh, Farmer led off with a single to left field and VanDemark followed with her first career homer, but the Dolphins were able to retire the final three batters.
 
Farmer led the way in the game with a 4-for-5, four-run, four-RBI effort. Her two home runs tied a school record previously achieved 16 times. VanDemark was equally impressive by also going 4-for-5. She added five RBI and three runs. Pickford was 2-for-4, with two RBI and three runs. Donato finished 2-for-5, with two runs and an RBI; and Campbell added a 2-for-4, three-RBI, run-scoring performance. Christopher also recorded a hit and scored twice, while Mann and Spencer each added a single. Mann also drove in a run. Collins rounded out the offense by scoring a run.
 
Ten Le Moyne players recorded at least one hit, led by Maddie Martin with four. Ava Todd and Cianna Benamati each had three. Shannon Gavigan and Arianna Exarchakis topped the team with three RBI apiece. The team finished with 21 hits and also committed four errors. Eleven Dolphins accounted for their runs.
 
Junior Ainsley Stubbs (0-1) got the start and faced 28 batters over three innings before yielding to freshman Allicen Harris. Stubbs allowed 14 runs (all earned) on 13 hits, with two strikeouts and four walks. Harris finished the final four innings, surrendering five runs (four earned) on eight hits. She also had two strikeouts and walked one.
 
Le Moyne used three pitchers. Isabella Kwashek pitched 1.1 innings, giving up seven runs (four earned) on six hits, with a strikeout and no walks. Danni Simpson (1-0) earned the win with two innings of relief work. She allowed four earned runs out of five, and four hits. She struck out two and walked one. Tatum Nessman got the save finishing the final 3.2 innings. All four runs she surrendered were earned. She also gave up seven hits. She had no strikeouts and two walks.
 
Morehead State began the day by dropping a four-and-a-half inning decision to Western Michigan (2-0). The Eagles scored once in the first, third and fifth; while the Broncos tallied five runs in the second, seven in the second and four in the third.
 
Christopher began the day by notching a one-out single in the first. She eventually scored on Farmer's at bat. MSU picked up its second run after Farmer's one-out triple to right-center field in the third. She came home on a fielding error.
 
In the fifth, Farmer doubled to left field to lead off the frame. She later scored on Spencer's single to right field.
 
Western Michigan tallied 11 hits and 15 RBI. Eight different Broncos had at least one hit. Emily Lampela had two home runs, a three-run shot in the second and a grand slam in the third. She finished the game 2-for-2, with eight RBI and two runs.
 
Senior Rylie Burney (0-1) went the distance for the Eagles, with 15 of the 16 runs earned. She allowed 11 hits, struck out two and walked four in four innings. Hannah Potts (1-0) got the win. She pitched 3.2 innings, surrendering two runs (none earned) on four hits, with six strikeouts and one walk. Jadeyn Merrill pitched the final inning and a third. She yielded one earned run on two hits, with three strikeouts and one walk.

UT MARTIN 7, SETON HALL 6  (8)
UT MARTIN 7, STETSON 4  (8)
DELAND, Fla. - The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team went to extra innings twice Saturday at Stetson's Frank Griffin Classic in DeLand, Florida, and in both games the Skyhawks came out as winners. UT Martin edged Seton Hall, 7-6, in eight innings in game one and evened the weekend series with the host Hatters in game two, 7-4, also in eight innings.

Game 1 – UT Martin 7, Seton Hall 6 (8 Inn.)
In game one, UT Martin jumped out to a 5-0 lead by scoring two runs in the first and three runs in the fourth, including a solo home run from Ava Scott in the fourth. Seton Hall, however, rallied, scoring one run in the sixth and four in the top of the seventh to tie the game at four and send it to extra innings.

In the top of the eighth, the Pirates took their first lead of the game on an RBI double from Andrea Perez to make it 6-5. With one out, the Skyhawks kept any further runs by retiring the next two batters, ending the inning with a strikeout by Joleanna Fox.

In the bottom of the eighth, Karena Recrosio tied the game with two outs when she singled down the left field line to score the placed runner Jordan Hustey. In the next at-bat, Kyla Harley singled, followed by a Teagan Hayes walk to load the bases and give the Skyhawks a chance at the win. Following Hayes, Avary Makarewicz worked the count before taking ball four on a full count to walk in the winning run.

Harley finished the game at a perfect 4-for-4 with a walk to become just the 24th Skyhawk in known program history to tally four hits in a single game. Ava Scott ended her outing at 2-for-4 with three RBIs thanks to a two-RBI single in the first and her home run in the fourth.

Joleanna Fox picked up the win in the circle for the Skyhawks by allowing one run on one hit with one strikeout over the final inning of the game. Ashtyn Green started the game for UT Martin and went five complete innings, allowing one run on four hits with two strikeouts and no walks.

Game 2 – UT Martin 7, Stetson 4 (8 Inn.)
In game two, it was Stetson that jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the first and one in the second. However, in the fifth, the Skyhawks put up a four-spot on a double from Carly Ward and a pair of singles from Dylan Scott and Ava Scott. Clinging to a one-run lead, Stetson tied the game at four in the bottom of the seventh on a sacrifice fly to send the Skyhawks to extra innings for the second-straight game.

In the eighth, Hayes hit an infield bunt that moved the placed runner Makarewicz to third, but an error by the Hatter would allow her to score. After a single by Ava Scott, Jordyn Hustey hit a double down the left field line to score Hayes. Two batters later, Ava Scott scored on a sacrifice fly by Ward to cap the scoring at seven.

In the bottom of the inning, Sami Scholtz and Ut Martin recorded a 1-2-3 inning, capped by a strikeout, to pick up the win. Scholtz pitched the final two innings and allowed no runs, hits or walks to pick up her first victory in the circle as a Skyhawk.

After Harley became the 24th Skyhawk in known program history to record four hits in a single game in game one, Ava Scott became the 25th in game two. She went a perfect 4-for-4 in the contest with a double and an RBI. Kennedy Brown had two hits in the game, while Ward drove in a team-high two runs.

LINDENWOOD 11, MURRAY STATE 2  (5)
LINDENWOOD 7, NORTHERN KENTCUKY 1
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Lindenwood Softball team (3-1, 0-0 OVC) went 2-0 on the final day of the Stinger Classic by taking down Murray State 11-2 in five innings and defeating Northern Kentucky by a score of 7-1. Emily Geary hit a home run in both games this morning to help the Lions finish their first tournament of the season with a 3-1 record. The pitching for Lindenwood was a bright spot today as well as the pitching staff gave up just one earned run across 12 innings of work. 

GAME 1: Lindenwood 11, Murray State 2 (5)

After giving up a run in the top of the first inning, the Lions scored nine first inning runs to take control of the game early on. Madisen Noll got the offense going by recording a lead off double and Tori Hatton brought in Noll on an RBI double to left field to tie up the score at one. Jolie McMinn would then get Lindenwood's third hit of the inning by singling through the left side of the infield to put runners on the corners with nobody out, and Emily Geary followed McMinn's single with a three run home run to dead center to put the Lions on top 4-1. The offense was not done yet as they put up five more runs behind RBI singles from Dallis Darnell, Teryn Brown, and Kylee Crowder to go up 9-1 after one inning completed. 

The Lions added on to their lead in the bottom of the third inning thanks to Crowder's second RBI of the game on a fielder's choice and Karter Skillman picking up an RBI on a single to the shortstop to take an 11-1 lead after three innings of play. Lucy Pratt threw four innings against the Racers and picked up her first win of the season behind one earned run and one strikeout and Molly Heidrick ended the game in the top of the fifth inning by getting two fly ball outs and a line out to help Lindenwood win their second game of the season. The Lions had 14 hits in the contest with Murray State and were led offensively by Tori Hatton who went 3-4 and Emily Geary who had a team-high three RBI on the home run. 

GAME 2: Lindenwood 7, Northern Kentucky 1

Senior pitcher Avery Wapp started the contest against the Norse and pitched four innings without allowing an earned run and striking out five. Geary blasted her second home run of the day to right field in the bottom of the first inning to put the Lions on top by a score of 2-0 after one inning of play. Lindenwood added on to their lead in the bottom of the second behind a grand slam from Tori Hatton down the left field line to put them up 7-0. NKU responded in the top of the third by scoring on an error, but that was all they would get as Samantha Roulanaitis entered in the top of the fifth inning and went two innings allowing one hit and striking out three batters. Freshman pitcher Ava Risum entered in the top of the seventh inning and protected the 7-1 lead by getting three fly ball outs as the Lions went undefeated in day two of the Stinger Classic.

HOWARD 3, TENNESSEE TECH 2
CAMPBELL 11, TENNESSEE TECH 3  (5)
BUIES CREEK, N.C. - Tennessee Tech came close to getting its first win of the season on Saturday, but Howard rallied in the fifth inning to hand the Golden Eagles a 3-2 loss on the second day of the Campbell Stampede.

Tech (0-4) then saw a five-inning defeat when the host Camels topped the Golden Eagles 11-3.

In the day's first game, Tech struck first for two runs in the top of the second as Ella Bishop drove in Ashley Capelouto with a double up the middle, then Sofia Carroll hit a sacrifice fly to left to bring in Skylar Gooden.

Howard chipped away in the third as an error in right allowed Merci Hart to score from second. In the fifth inning, the Bison tied the game on Wisdom Colbert's single to short, driving in Cheyenne Castille, then a missed tag on an 8-1-4 double play allowed Zafriah Doss to score what resulted in the winning run.

Lainey Fitzgerald (0-2) was tagged with the loss despite a solid effort, allowing three runs – two earned – on four hits, walking six and striking out 10. Addison Abell came on in relief, throwing the final frame, walking one and striking out one.

Jailynn Paderez went 2-for-2 in the game, while Bishop had Tech's other hit.

In the second game, Campbell struck for four runs in the first, five runs in the second, one in the third and one in the fourth.

All three of Tech's runs came in the top of the fifth as the Golden Eagles tried to stave off the run-rule. Bishop drove in Alina Schlageter and Skylar Gooden with a single to right center. Skylar Sybesma followed that up with a single to shallow left to drive in Bishop.

Campbell closed the rally off with a double play.

Emily York took the loss, going one inning as she allowed four runs on three hits with two walks and one strikeout. Faith Rush went 1 2/3 innings, allowing six runs – two earned – on four hits, walking three and striking out one. Hannah Lange threw the final inning and a third, allowing one run on three hits and striking out three.

LOUISIANA TECH 8, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0
LIPSCOMB 7, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 4
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Madison Winkler, Aubrie Shore and Sophie Schupp each had a hit as Southeast Missouri (0-3) fell to Conference USA member Louisiana Tech (4-0), 8-0, Saturday at the Black & Gold Challenge.
 
For Winkler, the single in her first at-bat of the game marked her team-high fourth hit of the young season, while Schupp recorded her first hit of 2026.
 
La. Tech took a 1-0 edge in the top of the second before scoring twice in the fifth, once sixth and four more times in the top of the seventh.
 
The Bulldogs finished with 13 hits, eight of which were doubles.
 
Maddie Carney (0-2) worked 6.1 innings before Brooklyn Saysoff made her pitching debut in relief. Saysoff stuck out one in the two-thirds of an inning.
 
Bryannah Campos (1-0) and Ruby Fidge combined on a three-hit shutout. Both Campos and Fidge had three strikeouts. Campos pitched the first four innings and Fidge went the final three to get her first save

Lipscomb (2-2) scored seven runs in the final two innings to pull off a 7-4 come-from-behind win over Southeast Missouri (0-4) Saturday night at the Black & Gold Challenge.
 
SEMO started strong by chasing LU freshman starting pitcher Chloe Ellis in the bottom of the first inning.
 
All nine Redhawks came to the plate. With Aubrie Shore on first and one out, Brooklyn Saysoff singled. Raigan Brannon followed with a base hit to load the bases before Gracie Luna walked and Saysoff scored. 
 
Kamden Hutton followed with a single and Shore scored. Addisyn Martinie walked and Brannon touched home. Jazmine Manau grounded out allowing Luna to score giving SEMO a 4-0 lead.
 
LU rallied late to score three runs in the top of the sixth inning to make it a one-run contest.
 
Then, in the seventh, the Bisons tacked on four more runs to complete their comeback victory.
 
Freshman Summer Branch (0-1) took the loss in relief. Branch gave up four runs on three hits, walked two and struck out one in one inning.
 
Elizabeth Martin (1-0) was credited with the win. Martin allowed two hits in 4.2 innings.
 
LU finished with 11 hits.
 
Madison Winkler, Saysoff and Kamden Hutton each had two hits for the Redhawks.

DRAKE 11, WESTERN ILLINOIS 7
OAKLAND 10, WESTERN ILLINOIS 2  (6)
ROSEMONT, Ill. - Western Illinois softball continued play Saturday at the Rosemont Tournament with a full day of action, taking on Drake in the morning before facing Oakland in the evening at The Dome.

Game 1: Drake 11, Western Illinois 7

Western Illinois jumped out early against Drake, scoring two runs in the first inning and matching the Bulldogs with a pair of runs in the third to take a 4–2 lead. The Leathernecks finished the game with 12 hits and seven runs, showing consistent offensive pressure throughout the lineup.

Sophia Sanchez led the way, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a pair of doubles. Hannah Simpson added a strong performance at the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with two RBIs, while Ruby Tarr delivered three RBIs on a 2-for-4 day. Maria Luna chipped in with two doubles and an RBI as Western Illinois recorded extra-base hits in five different innings.

Drake responded with a five-run fourth inning and added runs in the fifth and sixth to regain control. Despite the setback, the Leathernecks continued to battle late, adding two runs in the seventh inning to cap off the scoring. Western Illinois finished the contest with more hits than Drake and showed the ability to generate offense across all seven innings.

Game 2: Oakland 10, Western Illinois 2

In the evening matchup, Western Illinois stayed within striking distance through the early innings, holding Oakland to one run over the first four frames. Kaitlyn Green worked 3.2 solid innings in the circle, allowing just one run while striking out two to keep the Leathernecks competitive early.

Offensively, Kam Utendorf paced Western Illinois with a 3-for-4 performance, while Ruby Tarr drove in the Leathernecks' first run with an RBI single. Rylee German and Sophia Sanchez each recorded doubles as Western Illinois totaled nine hits and continued to create scoring chances throughout the game.

Oakland pulled away with a six-run sixth inning, with the Leathernecks scoring a run in the sixth as well. Western Illinois left runners on base in multiple innings and showed consistent contact at the plate, signaling areas of growth as the tournament continues.

IDAHO STATE 12, SIUE 0  (5)
SIUE 5, FRESNO STATE 4
FRESNO, Calif. - SIUE softball rallied for five runs in the top of the seventh inning Saturday and collected a 5-4 come-from-behind victory at Fresno State.

The Cougars earned their first win of the season and will close out the Fresno State Tournament Sunday with an 11:30 a.m. contest against Idaho State. Earlier Saturday, Idaho State defeated SIUE 12-0 in five innings.

The closeout for Saturday was a string of six straight scoreless innings before the Cougars would plate their first run for winning pitcher Mia Volpert.

SIUE would send 10 batters to the plate in the top of the seventh beginning with a walk to Aidyn Barrera. Harley Limberger then pinch hit and drew a walk. Both Barrera and pinch runner Abby Harvell moved up on a wild pitch.

Volpert would get the scoring started with a singled up the middle, scoring Barrera.

The Cougars would execute the double steal to perfection as Volpert took second base and Harvell scored.

Juztyne Torres reached on a hit by a pitch.

That set up an RBI single by Kaylin Fahy where Fahy moved up to second base on the throw, Torres advanced to third and Volpert scored.

Raegan Duncan provided the biggest hit of the day, a two-run single to left field that plated Torres and Fahy.

The Cougars finished with six hits total. Fresno State fell to 3-1.

EASTERN ILLINOIS 10, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 4
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, UNC GREENSBORO 2
STATESBORO, Ga. - Eastern Illinois softball bounced back on Saturday with a pair of wins at the Battle in the Boro to improve their season record to 2-2.  EIU beat host Georgia Southern 10-4 in their opening game of the day before beating UNC Greensboro 3-2 in the final contest.

EIU 10, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 4
Eastern Illinois softball scored two runs in the opening inning against Georgia Southern eventually picking up a 10-4 win for the Panthers (1-2) first win of the season.

Alisha Frederick drove home Abbi Hatton with an RBI single in the first with Sophia Olman following with an RBI single to center to put EIU up 2-0.

Delanie Thames cut the Panthers lead in half in the bottom of the inning with an RBI double to left.

Abbi Hatton extended EIU's lead out to 3-1 with an RBI double in the second inning as Hatton was one of four EIU players with two hits.

EIU tacked on six more runs in the top of the fifth with Lexi Griffin providing the big hit of the day with a three-run homer.  Griffin had two hits.

Grace Lemke (1-0) picked up the win in her first collegiate start tossing 4.1 innings. 

Georgia Southern cut into the final margin with two runs in the seventh with RBI doubles by Emma Davis and Delanie Thomas as the Eagles fell to 2-2 on the year.

Marybeth Dyson and Chloe Wamboldt added two hits each for the Panthers.

Shaylin Stringer took the loss for GSU falling to 1-1.

EIU 3, UNCG 2
Abbi Hatton drove in two runs and Hillary Springer delivered an important sacrifice fly as Eastern Illinois picked up a 3-2 win over UNC Greensboro to move back to .500 on the season.

Hatton went 2-for-4 for the game opening EIU's scoring with an RBI single in the first inning.  The sophomore would put EIU up 2-1 in the contest with her second RBI of the day in the fifth scoring Chloe Wamboldt.

In the sixth Springer had a sacrifice fly to center that scored Lizzie Stiverson from third and giving the Panthers an important two run cushion. 

UNCG cut into the lead in the sixth with a Kaylyn Belfield RBI single up the middle.  Belfield went 3-for-5 picking up three of the Spartans (1-3) five hits in the game.

Bryanna French (1-1) pitched out of the jam in the sixth and finished the seventh for the complete game moving EIU to 2-2 on the season.  Alisha Frederick joined Hatton with two hits to lead EIU's offense.

Salem Ward (0-1) took the loss for UNCG.

NICHOLLS 9, SOUTHERN INDIANA 1  (5)
NORTHERN KENTUCKY 8, SOUTHERN INDIANA 2
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - University of Southern Indiana Softball suffered a pair of losses on its first day of competition to open the 2026 schedule on Saturday, as the Screaming Eagles fell 9-1 in five innings to Nicholls State University before an 8-2 loss against Northern Kentucky University at the Alabama State University Stinger Classic in Montgomery, Alabama.
 
In the season-opening contest against Nicholls State (2-2), USI Softball (0-2) faced a tough start with Nicholls tallying three runs in the first inning. The Colonels tacked on three more in the second frame to take a 6-0 lead. Meanwhile, the Screaming Eagles recorded a pair of hits through the first two innings but could not get the bats truly rolling.
 
The Colonels posted another three-spot in the top of the fourth inning, pushing their lead to 9-0. USI collected another pair of hits and scored a run in the bottom of the fourth, but Nicholls State got out of the inning and closed out the game in the fifth.
 
USI totaled four hits, with senior outfielder Olivia Money registering a hit and an RBI in the contest. In the pitching circle, sophomore pitcher Kylie Witthaus (0-1) was dealt the loss in the season-opening start, lasting 3.1 innings pitched with two strikeouts and surrendering nine runs – seven earned – off eight hits and four walks. Freshman pitcher Anna Kemp made her USI debut in relief, tossing 1.2 innings scoreless.
 
For Nicholls State, senior pitcher Averi Paden (1-0) received the win after allowing one run in four innings of work.
 
In the nightcap, USI met Northern Kentucky (2-2) to renew an old Great Lakes Valley Conference rivalry when both schools were Division II. The two sides met for the first time since 2012.'
 
The first three innings went scoreless, as freshman pitcher Elly Robbins made her USI debut and first career start.
 
The Norse broke up the scoreless tie with three runs in the top of the fourth inning and three more in the top of the fifth to surge ahead 6-0.
 
The Screaming Eagles cut into the deficit in the bottom of the fifth with a pair of sac flies by freshman outfielder Katelyn Marx and junior infielder Sydney Long to make it a 6-2 ballgame. However, Northern Kentucky scratched across a run in the sixth and seventh innings to seal the game.
 
Marx, making her first career start in the USI batting order, notched her first multi-hit performance with two hits for the Screaming Eagles. Senior infielder Julianna Hibbs and junior utility Angelia Davis each stepped up with pinch hits and later scored, respectively, on the Marx and Long sac flies.
 
Robbins (0-1) wound up with the pitching loss, going 4.2 innings with four strikeouts and allowing six runs – four earned – off seven hits and two walks. Kemp followed again in relief, pitching the final 2.1 innings and giving up two runs - one earned.
 
For Northern Kentucky, freshman pitcher Abigail Byrd (2-0) earned her second win of the tournament for the Norse after allowing two runs in four innings pitched. Fellow freshman pitcher Makaree Chapman picked up a three-inning save.