Ohio Valley Conference

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - North Alabama may be getting attention from national polls, but the Tennessee Tech softball team took the visiting Lions to the brink, holding them off until the final frame as UNA took a 4-3 victory over the Golden Eagles on Wednesday.

Jailynn Paderez had two of Tech's three hits in the contest with Alina Schlageter collecting the other safety.

Faith Rush gave up two runs quickly then settled in as she posted a solid outing. She went 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits, walking five and striking out two. Hannah Lange came on in relief in the fifth, allowing one hit. Ella Wampler had the tough-luck loss, allowing the game-winning run in the top of the seventh with one hit and one walk.

Kaylee Snyder collected the win in relief, going the final inning and two-thirds with only a walk against her.

Laura Leigh Wheeler provided most of the damage as she went 3-for-4 with three RBI in the contest.

UNA scored the first run as a wild pitch allowed Gyvan Hammons to cross, then Wheeler drove in Briley Dover on a fielder's choice as the lead Lion scored from third.

Tech halved the deficit in the bottom of the second as Schlageter drove in Ashley Capelouto on a grounder to second to make it a 2-1 game.

Wheeler drove in Dover in the fifth inning with a single to left, then Tech tied the game in the bottom of the sixth as Bella Ochoa put down a bunt back to the circle, but an errant throw allowed Ochoa to stretch all the way to third and Olivia Evans room to score. Paderez tied the game up with a single down the right field line, driving in Ochoa.

Wampler came on in relief and was able to get Dover to fly out to left field, then Bayleigh Rouse took a four-pitch walk. Pinch runner Kylei Russell stole second, then Wheeler doubled her home with a shot to left field, putting the Lions on top.

KENTUCKY 7, MOREHEAD STATE 0
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Morehead State softball team nearly matched the University of Kentucky in hits and made at least as many outstanding defensive plays as the Wildcats, but the hosts were able to put together more production with runners on base and also come up with all the big plays, en route to defeating the Eagles 7-0 in seven innings on Wednesday at the John Cropp Stadium in Lexington, Ky.

Despite not getting the win, there was a lot to make MSU coach Megan Griffith proud.

"We were competitive outside of one big inning," she said. "Ainsley (Stubbs), Emma (Solis) and Allicen (Harris) all had strong outings on the mound. (The) outfield did a great job running down balls and keeping base runners from advancing. Making better decisions on the base paths will be crucial to keeping our offense competitive, but I'm pleased with the way we handled ourselves at the plate."

Kentucky (24-19) was able to get on the board first with a four-hit first inning that included a double that bounced just inside the left-field line, and three singles that resulted in a pair of runs.

Morehead State (4-26) came right back and put two runners on base with one out in the third. Senior designated player Taikibrea Campbell, who was making her first appearance after sitting out eight games with an injury, hit a hard shot between first and second that took a last-second bounce that the Wildcat infielder was unable to handle cleanly. Then sophomore right fielder Sophie Collins, who later in the evening robbed a single by making a jumping catch, dropped a nearly perfect bunt that moved Campbell to second. A fielder's choice pushed her to third, but the hosts were able to snuff out any rally.

The Eagles generated three consecutive hits in the third inning. Junior center fielder Maddy Christopher beat out a shot to the shortstop; junior second baseman Sage VanDemark singled to center field and junior shortstop Sela Pickford extended her hitting streak to 11 games by singling through the left side to load the bases. An attempt to force UK to make an extra throw on a fly out to left field resulted in a double play to end the inning as Christopher was thrown out at home.

MSU made a pitching change to start the third inning and Kentucky was able to extend its advantage. Allie Blum led off with a triple and Karissa Hamilton proceeded to drive her in on a sacrifice fly. After a walk and a single, Mt. Sterling, Ky., native Reaghan Oney drove a shot over the left-center field fence for a three-run homer.

For the third straight inning (the fourth), the Eagles put two batters on base, but again a double play, this time unassisted, ended the threat. Campbell began the sequence with a single to left-center field. Collins reached on a fielder's choice and senior left fielder Jordan Donato, who made two highlight-reel diving catches in the game, beat out an infield single to third base. Unfortunately, the inning ended on the next at-bat as Wildcat shortstop Maddy Clark caught a looping line drive next to second base and then stepped on the bag to complete the double play.

The hosts picked up their final run in the bottom of the fourth, bolstered by a hit, stolen base and a fielding error.

In the fifth, the Blue and Gold threatened again as Christopher picked up her second hit with an infield single, before VanDemark doubled with a shot that went over the first-base bag and into the right field corner. But another base running gaffe prevented the Eagles from getting on the board as the next two batters went down leaving two runners in scoring position.

MSU's third pitcher of the evening, senior Emma Solis, retired the side in her lone inning of work in the fifth for the Eagles first 1-2-3 inning of the contest.

Morehead State continued to put the bat on the ball all night, striking out just three times, but a pair of ground outs ended the contest after the top of the seventh.

MSU finished with eight hits, two errors and seven runners left on base. Kentucky tallied nine hits, with one error and left six stranded.

Christopher and VanDemark led the way with two hits apiece. Pickford, Campbell, Collins and Donato each recorded one.

Blum paced the Wildcats with a 3-for-3, three-run, one-RBI performance. Oney also drove in a game-high three runs.

Morehead State made four pitching changes on the night, including starting junior Ainsley Stubbs, who threw the first two innings before returning midway through the third. In total, she pitched three and a third innings, allowing five hits on three runs, two of which were earned, with one strikeout and one walk, before suffering the loss to fall to 4-9. Senior Rylie Burney faced six batters and yielded three hits and a walk that resulted in four runs. Solis and freshman Allicen Harris each pitched one complete inning, with the latter facing four batters and surrendering one hit.

Freshman Abby Hammond, last year's high school Miss Kentucky Softball, went the distance to get the shut-out win and improve to 3-3. She gave up eight hits and no walks, while striking out three batters.

SAINT LOUIS 9, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3
ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis (17-20) used a six-run fifth inning to get by Southeast Missouri (12-22), 9-3, Wednesday during midweek action at the Billiken Sports Center.
 
Tied, 3-3, SLU sent 11 hitters to the plate in its decisive fifth inning at-bat.
 
With runners on second and third and one out, Moira Falli stole home to put the Billikens ahead. Bella Stephens scored on a groundout by Ava Wombles. An RBI-single by Sophia Boente, bases loaded walk by Karsen Jany and two-RBI single by Abby Mallo pushed SLU's lead to 9-3.
 
SEMO got ahead early, 1-0, in the top of the first when Aubrie Shore doubled down the right field line to score Kamden Hutton. Hutton singled and Brittany Affolter doubled before Shore ripped her extra base hit.
 
After SLU answered with two runs of its own in the bottom of the first, the Redhawks regained the lead in the third.
 
Shore singled up the middle and Affolter scored. Gracie Luna was then hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Madison Winkler touched home to give SEMO a 3-2 edge.
 
A leadoff home run by Mallo tied things up in the bottom of the third before the Billikens pulled away for good in the fifth.
 
Anna Christ (6-7) picked up the win in relief. Christ threw two scoreless innings. She allowed two hits and walked one in that stretch.
 
Summer Branch (2-2) took the loss. Branch also worked two innings out of the bullpen giving up six runs on four hits to go along with three walks and one strikeout.
 
SEMO outhit SLU, 9-8, with Shore going 2-for-3 with two RBI and a double. Addy Martinie also finished at 2-for-3 with a double.
 
Mallo was 3-for-4 with a run scored, three RBI and a home run to pace the Billikens.
 
SLU ended an eight-game losing streak in the all-time series against SEMO.