Ohio Valley Conference

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Last week it was Ashley Capelouto going yard for the Tennessee Tech softball team. Saturday, it was Makayli Harris' turn as the Golden Eagle senior went yard twice in game two against Lindenwood – the second breaking a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning – as Tech defeated the Lions twice.

The Golden Eagles (8-18, 5-3 Ohio Valley Conference) took the first game 5-0 as Addison Abell took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. She improved to 2-2 on the season in the complete game effort, yielding the lone hit to Anna Sanders, the leadoff batter in the top of the seventh. Abell walked two and struck out one.

Offensively, Olivia Evans went 2-for-3 in the contest with two runs scored, while Sofia Carroll drove in three runs. Jailynn Paderez and Capelouto each had RBI in the first game.

Starter Ryleigh Evans took the loss for the Lions, falling to 3-5 on the season, after allowing five runs in four innings, walking two and striking out three. Game two starter Samantha Roulanaitis threw the final two innings, striking out two and keeping Tech off the bases.

Tech scored its first run in the opening frame as Evans led off with a single to short, then took second on a groundout. Following a grounder back to the circle, Capelouto took ball one, then drilled a single through the right side to bring Evans home.

The Golden Eagles struck again in the second as Ella Grace Harvey drew a six-pitch walk, Julie Martin walked on five pitches, then Evans hit a grounder to short. The Lions shortstop appeared to motion to third, then to second, but was unable to get a play in time as Evans stood at first with an infield single.

Carroll took the first two pitches for balls, then roped a drive to right field. The Lindenwood fielder backpedaled with her arm stretched out and was just short of the ball as it glanced off her glove, allowing Carroll to convert the ball into a three-bagger, sending Harvey, Martin and Evans home to make it a 5-0 game.

Neither team left anyone on for the remainder of the game as Sanders' stay on base was short-lived as Hatton grounded into a 6-3 double play – the first of three for the Golden Eagles in the doubleheader – then a flyout to left center ended the game.

In game two, Tech starter Faith Rush had a solid outing, yielding one run on four hits with two walks and a strikeout. Emily York collected the victory to improve to 5-7 on the season, throwing four scoreless innings as she allowed five hits, walking one and striking out two.

Harris led the Tech batters at the plate as she went 3-for-3 in the nightcap, driving in all three runs.

Roulanaitis threw the first 2 1/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits with a walk and a strikeout. She was no longer the pitcher of record when she was lifted in the third as Avery Wapp came in to finish the contest. Wapp threw 3 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits, walking one and striking out six.

Lindenwood scored its lone run in the top of the first. After a walk, Sanders took second on a wild pitch, then third on Hatton's single to right. Hatton stole second as there was no one there to receive the throw from the plate and the sailed throw allowed Sanders to score on the inadvertent error.

In the bottom of the second, Harris fouled off four pitches until she found a pitch she liked and sent it over the left centerfield wall, knotting the score at 1.

Both teams left two on in the third, Tech one in the fourth. Lindenwood left the bases loaded in the fifth and Tech stranded two in the bottom half, then the Lions one more in the top of the sixth with neither team able to get anything across.

That changed in the bottom of the sixth as Ella Bishop drew a walk, then Harris blasted a shot to deep left field, breaking the tie and putting Tech up 3-1.

York continued to pitch strongly in the seventh. Despite Sanders leading off the seventh with a base hit for the second straight game, she was able to coax a fly ball to left, a fly ball to right, then got Karter Skillman to hit one right back to the circle to end the game on a 1-3 putout.

MOREHEAD STATE 7, WESTERN ILLINOIS 5
WESTERN ILLINOIS 10, MOREHEAD STATE 9  (10)
MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois Softball team (7-17, 2-5 OVC) split its doubleheader on Saturday afternoon against Morehead State. The Leathernecks went 10 innings in game two and picked up a 10-9 victory on a walk-off RBI single from Kam Utendorf. Libby Spaulding added her fifth win of the season, pitching the entire game for the Leathernecks, to go along with 6 strikeouts.

The Eagles struck first in the opening inning with an RBI double, but the Leathernecks responded in the bottom half, drawing a bases-loaded walk from Maria Luna to tie the game at 1-1. After Morehead State retook the lead in the third, Western Illinois answered with an RBI triple from Ruby Tarr and an RBI from Sophia Sanchez to even the score at 3-3.

Morehead State would go on to extend its lead to 7-3 going into the bottom of the 7th. Western would add on two more from a Homerun by Maria Luna before ultimately falling 7-5. 

The second matchup was one for the ages, with Western and Morehead State going 10 innings in the back-and-forth contest. The Eagles took the lead early in the 1st from a home run by Sela Pickford and an RBI single from Jordan Donato to put them ahead 3-0.

The Leathernecks would score their next two runs from Ruby Tarr who added a sacrifice fly in the 1st to go along with an RBI Single in the 3rd to score Payton Brown. The scoring for the Leathernecks continued into the 5th, where they scored 5 runs, and into the 6th, where they added 2 more to go ahead 9-5.

The Eagles rallied in the 7th inning, where they scored 4 runs of their own to even the score at 9-9 going into extra innings. Pitching from both sides locked down in extra innings until Kam Utendorf walked off the win for the Leathernecks with an RBI single with some help from excellent base running from Addie McLaughlin.

EASTERN ILLINOIS 12, SIUE 4  (5)
EASTERN ILLINOIS 6, SIUE 5
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Eastern Illinois posted a run-rule victory in the opener before a late rally in game two gave the Panthers a Saturday sweep over SIUE in a battle of the league's last two undefeated teams.  EIU won 12-4 (5) and 6-5 to improve to 14-16 overall, 8-0 in the OVC.  SIUE dropped to 13-16, 6-2 in the OVC.

Both teams scored two runs in the opening inning before Eastern Illinois exploded for ten runs in the second inning during a 12-4 win over the Cougars.

Abbi Hatton and Sophia Olman started EIU's scoring in the first with Hatton delivering a sacrifice fly before Olman dropped in an RBI double.

Ashley Duran answered for SIUE in the bottom of the first with a two-run double against EIU starter Rylan Gick (5-3).  Gick would benefit from the Panthers offensive explosion in the top of the second to toss her second straight OVC complete game win.  Gick struck out seven scattering four hits.

Lexie Griffin started the Panthers big inning with a solo home run, her sixth of the season.  Lizzie Stiverson had a sacrifice fly followed by an RBI single by Hatton to put EIU up 5-2.  Olman cleared the bases with a grand slam and Chloe Wamboldt closed the big inning with a two-run single.

Olman had two hits and drove in five runs as she was one of five EIU players with two hits.  Hatton, Griffin, Wamboldt and Marybeth Dyson joined Olson with multiple hits.

SIUE's final runs came with a double steal in the third and a solo home run by Harley Limberger in the fifth.   Kaylin Fahey had two of the four hits issued by Gick in the game.  McKayla Anderson (2-1) suffered the loss for the Cougars.

In the nightcap EIU rallied from down three runs to pick up a 6-5 win over the Cougars for the Saturday sweep.

SIUE jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second game, scoring twice in the first inning and once in the fourth.  Ashley Duran and Abby Harvell had the RBI singles in the first inning.  Kaylin Fahy drew a bases loaded walk for the run in the third.

EIU was able to tie the game 3-3 in the top of the fifth inning.  Alisha Frederick had a two-run single to center to drive home the first two runs.  She then teamed with Lizzie Stiverson on a double steal with Stiverson scoring from third to tie the game 3-3.

Maddux Marshall had an RBI single in the sixth to give EIU its first lead before the Panthers scored two important insurance runs in the seventh.  Sophia Olman had on RBI down the right field line with Brooklyn Groppel driving home the final run.

In the bottom of the frame SIUE was able to score two runs, Jesslyn Stairs driving in the first run with an RBI single.  Aidyn Barrera had a sacrifice fly for the final Cougars run.

Bryanna French (6-4) picked up the win for EIU with Rylan Gick entering with one out in the seventh to pick up the save.  Mia Volpert (5-6) took the loss for SIUE.

All nine EIU hits came from different players with Stiverson and Mo Hance each with a double.

Harvell and Raegan Duncan each had two hits to lead SIUE.

UT MARTIN 13, TENNESSEE STATE 2  (6)
UT MARTIN 6, TENNESSEE STATE 2
NASHVILLE - Recap coming soon.

SOUTHERN INDIANA 4, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Recap coming soon.