SATURDAY'S SCORES
Southern Miss 6, Eastern Illinois 2
Louisiana-Lafayette 11, Eastern Illinois 0
Winthrop 5, UT Martin 3
Winthrop 6, Jacksonville State 0
Tennessee Tech 4, Ole Miss 2
Eastern Kentucky 6, Evansville 4
Lipscomb 5, Eastern Kentucky 2
UNF 10, Jacksonville State
Valparaiso 8, Tennessee State 0
UT Marin 7, Ole Miss 6
SIU Edwardsville 4, Illinois-Chicago 1
SIU Edwardsville 4, Western Illinois
Tennessee Tech 2, James Madison 1
Evansville 4, Murray State 3
Lipscomb 9, Murray State 2
Missouri 13, Southeast Missouri 0
Missouri State 7, Southeast Missouri 3
SOUTHERN MISS 6, EASTERN ILLINOIS 2; LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 0
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- A four-run inning by Southern Miss opened up a seventh-inning tie as the Eastern Illinois softball squad lost to the Golden Eagles, 6-2, to open day two of the Arkansas Razorback Invitational. That tough loss was followed by an 11-0 mercy-rule defeat at the hands of 19th-Ranked Louisiana-Lafayette.
The two straight losses move the Panthers to 6-5 on the season.
Versus Southern Miss, the Panther offense came via an RBI double and single from freshmen Melise Brown and Ally Seplak, respectively, while sophomore Ashley Anderton, senior Angie Danca, and junior Kiley Holtz each earned a hit apiece. Senior Denee' Menzione had a nice showing at the plate, going 1-for-1 on the day.
Down 2-0, Eastern got on the board in the bottom of the second off as an RBI walk by Brown plated AndI Morgan from third.
The Panthers then tied the game in their half of the fourth inning as sophomore Haylee Hanna came home via an RBI fielders choice from the bat of Seplak.
Unfortunately USM blew the game open by scoring four runs in the top of the seventh, including a three-run homer, to stun the Panthers in the closing moments.
The big stat of the game was that Eastern left 12 runners on base, as compared to just six for Southern Miss.
Junior thrower Amber May was tabbed as the losing pitcher, throwing the last four innings and getting two strikeouts, yet allowing all four earned runs off five total hits.
In the second game of the invite versus the 19th-Ranked Ragin' Cajuns (12-6), the Panthers found out why Louisiana has been ranked among the softball elite for most of the season, as EIU earned just one hit and failed to score a run for the first time all year.
Freshman pinch-hitter Andi Morgan earned the lone single for EIU, off a bunt in the fifth frame.
May earned her second consecutive loss in the circle, earning three Ks and zero walks against 30 batters and allowed 15 hits as seven of the Louisiana runs were earned
The Panthers finish up play at the three-day, six-team invitational on Sunday, with an 11 am contest against Midwest rival Drake.
WINTHROP 5, UT MARTIN 3; UT MARITN 7, OLE MISS 6
WOODSTOCK, Ga. - UT Martin earned a split on the second day of the Buzz Classic, falling to Winthrop (5-3) and defeating Ole Miss (7-6)
The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team jumped out to an early 2-0 lead over Winthrop, but a pair of Eagle home runs in the bottom of the fifth helped them knock off the Skyhawks 5-3 at the Buzz Classic. Megan Williams went 3-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles and two runs scored but it wasn't enough to prevent UT Martin from suffering consecutive losses for the first time this year.
The loss drops the Skyhawks' record to 10-3 on the year, while reigning Ohio Valley Conference pitcher of the Week Chelsea Jones also suffered her first loss of the year in the circle this year and fell to 3-1.
UT Martin opened the game with the first of Williams' two doubles on the day. Then after a Jenny Bain single moved her to third, Laura Roberts lined a single back up the middle to score Williams and put the Skyhawks up 1-0 in the first. It wasn't until the fifth that UT Martin could add to its lead, but started that inning just like the first with a Williams double. A Chelsea Cary grounder moved Williams to third this time then Bain knocked her in to push the lead to 2-0.
In the bottom half of the fifth is where UT Martin hit its major road block of the day though. Winthrop led the inning off with a single then Jones gave up back-to-back home runs that quickly put the Eagles on top 3-0. The homers were the first and second of the year given up by Jones, who last season gave up only four all year.
The two home runs marked the end of the day for Jones as Leevie Greenwood came on in relief. Winthrop was able to tack on one more run in the inning to build a 4-2 edge at the end of the fifth. UT Martin responded in the top of the sixth by capitalizing on three Winthrop errors to score one run and cut the lead to 4-3. Jordan Garrett reached base on throwing error then moved to second on a wild pitch. After the catcher tried to pick Garrett off at second and threw the ball away, she was able to come all the way around and score.
That was as close as UT Martin could draw though as Winthrop tagged on an insurance run in the bottom half of the sixth to set the score at its eventual final margin of 5-3.
Jones finished the day tossing 4.0 innings with only one strikeout, while giving up seven hits and three runs. Greenwood struck out two in her three innings of relief work, while surrendering only four hits and two runs.
In addition to Williams' three-hit day, Bain and Roberts both went 2-4 at the plate while Cary picked up the only other Skyhawk hit.
The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team hit four home runs against Ole Miss, but it was a Laurie Lindow single in the bottom of the ninth inning that ultimately secure a 7-6 extra-inning win over the Rebels at the Buzz Classic. The Skyhawks used the four long balls to build a four run lead heading into the seventh inning, but let it slip away before rallying back with runs in the sixth and seventh innings to finally knock off the Rebels.
The win, which is the first in program history over Ole Miss, improves the Skyhawks' record to 11-3 on the year and 2-2 at the Buzz Classic.
The Rebels took the early lead over UT Martin with a run in the top of the first but the Skyhawks were able to respond in the bottom half of the inning with a pair of runs. Megan Williams reached base on an error, then after working her way to third, came home on a Rebel's wild pitch to tie the game. Laura Roberts then connected on a solo-homer to right field to put UT Martin on top 2-1 at the end of the first.
Neither team scored again until the bottom of the fifth when Megan Latimer and Williams went back-to-back with home runs to left field, putting the Skyhawks on top by three at 4-1. In the bottom of the sixth inning UT Martin then extended its lead to 5-1 when Jordan Garrett launched the fourth Skyhawk home run of the game on a solo-shot over the wall in center field.
The Skyhawks were only three outs away from downing the Rebels in regulation, but a pair of errors allowed Ole Miss to load the bases with two outs. The Rebels then used back-to-back two-RBI singles to tie the game at 5-5 and force extra innings.
Ole Miss then took its first lead of the game since the first inning in the top of the eighth. With the international tiebreaker rule in effect, the Rebels advanced the runner on second over to third with a sacrifice bunt, then a RBI single gave them the 6-5 lead.
UT Martin answered in the bottom half of the eighth with a run of its own to tie the game at 6-6. Bain started the inning on second and Roberts earned a leadoff walk to put two runners on with no outs. After a Skyhawk strikeout and a grounder to advance the runners to second and third, Bain stole home with two outs to extend the game.
In the ninth inning UT Martin was able to hold Ole Miss scoreless in the top half. Jordan Garrett then began the inning on second and was advanced to third on an Erica Duke sacrifice bunt. That set up Lindow to line a single back up the middle for the game-winner.
Paij Lintz tossed the 9.0 inning complete game for the Skyhawks, striking out five while scattering 12 hits and only one earned run. She also issued only two walks in 41 batters faced. The win improves Lintz's record this year in the circle to 5-1.
TENNESSEE TECH 4, OLE MISS; TENNESSEE TECH 2, JAMES MADISON 1
WOODSTOCK, Ga. - Solid pitching and timely hitting were the keys to victory on Saturday as the Tennessee Tech softball team won two close games in the second day of the Buzz Classic. The Golden Eagles defeated James Madison, 2-1, to begin the day before capturing a 4-3 win against Mississippi to close out the day.
Tech improves to 8-6 overall this season with the wins, while James Madison falls to 7-5 and Mississippi drops to 12-6.
The Dukes struck first on Saturday as James Madison manufactured a run in the top of the 1st inning off of starter Holly Thomas on a pair of hits.
Down 1-0 in the bottom of the 2nd, the Golden Eagles tied the score on a Lindsey Umberger single to right-center field that scored Jessica Steele from second base. Steele came in to pinch run for Thomas after she singled to put two runners on with one out. A fielder's choice sent Steele to second before Umberger delivered the two-out game-tying hit.
Thomas shut down James Madison in the top of the 3rd, and Tech would take its first lead in the bottom of the frame when Kaleigh Gates doubled to deep right-center to score Callie Schmidt all the way from first base to put TTU ahead, 2-1.
The one-run lead is all Thomas would need as she did not allow a hit the rest of the way, sitting down 12 of the next 14 batters. A walk and an error allowed the two James Madison base runners, both of whom were stranded at first.
Thomas finished the game with a complete game three-hitter. She struck out five and allowed just one earned run over 7.0 innings of work. The sophomore was also effective at the dish, going 1-for-2 with a walk.
Tech jumped on the board in the top of the first as Whitney Cummings hit her team-leading fourth home run of the season. Cummings, who leads the team with a .368 batting average, sent a shot over the left field fence to give Tech a 1-0 lead after the team's half of the 1st.
Junior Maddie Schmissrauter was called on for her second start in as many days after sparkling one day earlier against Western Carolina. Again, she did not disappoint as she kept the Rebels scoreless through the first four innings before a two-out RBI single in the 5th by Ole Miss tied the game at 1-1.
That is the way the score would remain until the 7th inning when Gates singled up the middle to start a three-run Golden Eagle rally. Lacie Coquerille reached on an error and Schmissrauter singled to right field to load the bases with no outs.
Following a Rebels pitching change, Brooke Basten put the Golden Eagles in front as she singled to center field, scoring Gates from third and keeping the bags packed with no outs.
Mississippi got a big strikeout on Umberger for the first out of the inning before Melody Christian reached on an RBI fielder's choice that scored Coquerille from third. One batter later, Chanelle Spalding hit Tech's fourth single of the inning to drive home the third TTU run of the inning and put Tech ahead 4-1.
Schmissrauter struck out the first Rebel to begin the bottom of the 7th before inducing a ground out to put Tech one out away from the win. However, Ole Miss would rally as the next two batters reach on a walk and a single before a TTU fielding error scored both runs and kept the tying run on first base. Schmissrauter calmly got out of the jam as she forced a ground ball by the next batter to seal the victory for the Golden Eagles, 4-3.
Schmissrauter picked up her second win in as many days, pitching 7.0 innings while allowing just one earned run. She struck out seven as she improves to 3-1 on the season.
The Golden Eagles wrap up action at the Buzz Classic on Sunday with a game at noon against UNC Greensboro.
WINTHROP 6, JACKSONVILLE STATE 0; UNF 10, JACKSONVILLE STATE 2
WOODSTOCK, Ga. - Fielding errors and cold bats did the Jacksonville State softball team in on Saturday, when the Gamecocks dropped games to Winthrop and North Florida on the second day of the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic.
Winthrop claimed a 4-0 win in the early game before North Florida took a 10-2 mercy rule win in the nightcap on a day that saw JSU muster just nine hits while committing seven fielding errors.
In the first game of the day, Winthrop got a run in the third on a Teja Durante single up the middle and added another in the fourth on a throwing error by Amanda Crow. Those two runs would be plenty for Eagles starter Cari Woolridge, who held the Gamecocks to just four hits, two after the first inning. She would get four insurance runs in the top of the seventh, however, thanks to three more Gamecock errors.
Chrissy O'Neal led off the first with a single and Hillary Downs followed with a single to account for half of JSU's hits before the first out was made. Sam Rich led off the fourth with a double and a Kaycee Crow single in the seventh accounted for JSU's two other hits.
Junior Ashley Eliasson (2-6) was tagged with the loss for the Gamecocks after surrendering six runs, two earned, on eight hits in seven innings in the circle. The Vallejo, Calif., walked three and struck out three in the loss.
Woolridge went the distance for Winthrop to earn the win in the circle. She allowed four hits, while striking out four and walking one.
Kelly Blea led the Eagles at the plate with a double and a pair of RBI in a 3-for-4 showing.
The second game picked up where the first one left off, with the Gamecocks committing two errors that led to four unearned runs to start the game. The Ospreys grabbed another in the third on a bases loaded walk by Britanie Block, while hurler Shaina Dent continued to cruise.
The UNF starting pitcher held the Gamecocks hitless through the first three frames before a Downs single to lead off the fourth gave JSU just its third baserunner of the game. Jax State finally got on the board in the fifth, thanks to a leadoff single from Crow that set up a towering two-run homer by Mary Beth Ledbetter. The Southside, Ala., native's blast curled around the left field foul pole to cut the UNF lead to 5-2.
The Ospreys answered in the home half of the inning on a bases-loaded two-run single by Caroline Torre that allowed them to reclaim a five-run lead at 7-2. They stretched it to 9-2 on a two-run homer from Jackie Reese and forced the mercy rule when Ariana Godwin drew a bases loaded walk from Rich.
Freshman Hilary Phillips (3-1) suffered the first loss of her young career in a JSU uniform after allowing nine runs, five earned, on eight hits in just over five innings in the circle. The Ider, Ala., native walked five batters and fanned two. Rich recorded one out in the sixth before a single and three walks ended the night.
Dent earned the win for UNF after holding the JSU bats to two runs on three hits in 4.1 innings of work. Devyn Findley came on to finish the game, allowing just two hits in 1.2 innings of work.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 6, EVANSVILLE 4; LIPSCOMB 5, EASTERN KENTUCKY 2
NASHVILLE - Eastern Kentucky picked up its first victory of 2010 with a 6-4 victory over Evansville today in the team's first game at the Lady Bisons Classic hosted by Lipscomb in Nashville. The Colonels (1-10) lost their second game of the day to the host team by a score of 5-2.
Against Evansville (2-5), an RBI single by Raquel Howes in the top of the first inning staked EKU to an early lead. After Howes stole second base, senior Jena Handley drove her in with a single through the left side to make it a 2-0 game. RBI singles by Tamara Robey and Amy Gaertner in the bottom of the second tied the game for Evansville.
Larkyn Wood broke the tie for Eastern in the top of the fourth with her first career home run, a two-run shot. Another RBI single by Howes in the fifth proved to be the game winner. Evansville added two more in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 5-4, but that is as close as the Purple Aces would get. Howes provided an insurance run with her first career homer in the top of the seventh.
Howes finished 3-for-4 in the first game with two runs scored and three driven in. Sophomore Diane Gallagher had two hits, two runs and two stolen bases. Robey went 3-for-5 with an RBI for Evansville.
Mea Flores (1-2) came on to pitch in the second inning. She allowed two runs on seven hits in four innings to earn her first win of the season. Junior Stacye Toups held the Purple Aces hitless over the final inning and two-thirds to earn the save.
In the second game of the day, Lipscomb (14-1) scored the first five runs of the game. Lauren Dortwegt accounted for the game's first run in the bottom of the third when she scored on an EKU error. Christen Campbell's two-run double in the fourth stretched the lead to 3-0. The Lady Bisons added two more in the fifth.
The Colonels attempted a comeback in the seventh. With two outs and one on, Ashley Dollins connected on her second home run of the season to cut the deficit to 5-2, but Eastern's comeback bid ended one batter later.
Dollins and Howes recorded the only two hits in the game for Eastern Kentucky. Dortwegt finished 2-for-2 with two runs and an RBI for Lipscomb.
VALPARAISO 8, TENNESSEE STATE 0
AUBURN, Ala. - Valparaiso pitching limited Tennessee State to just two hits on Saturday afternoon as the Crusaders defeated the
Tigers 8-0 on day two of the War Eagle Classic.
TSU (3-9) committed two errors in the contest while Valpo poured in 16 hits, including four doubles and a homerun.
Caitlin Eaton suffered the loss (0-4) for the Tigers, pitching two innings, allowing four runs and seven hits. Hannah Schnebly and Natalie Papini also saw action from the circle.
In the first inning, after TSU's first three batters went down in order, Valpo posted two runs in the bottom of the frame to capture the lead.
TSU was able to get a runner on second with only one out in the top of the third when Kelly Troglin walked and advanced to second on a passed ball. Troglin, however, would be left stranded on base.
Valpo added three more runs in the bottom of the third to increase its lead to 5-0.
TSU threatened once again in the fourth, loading the bases with only one out, but was unable to push a run across the plate.
The Crusaders added two more runs in the fifth and another in the sixth to make the final score 8-0.
Caitlin Eaton went 2-for-3 at the plate and recorded TSU's only two hits of the game.
SIU EDWARDSVILLE 4, ILLINOIS-CHICAGO 1; SIU EDWARDSVILLE 2, WESTERN ILLINOS 1
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville softball used some timely hitting and a top-notch pitching Saturday to sweep its two games at the Coach B Classic.
SIUE defeated UIC (Illinois-Chicago) 4-1 in eight innings and Western Illinois 2-1.
The Cougars reached the .500 mark for the first time this season and are now 8-
8 heading into Sunday's games against host Southern Illinois and Kansas.
On Saturday, SIUE hurler Erika Taylor picked up a complete-game victory and a save. Taylor went eight innings against UIC, giving up four hits and striking out five. She fanned two in the bottom of the seventh against Western Illinois to collect her first save of the season.
SIUE's bats were timely. Tied 1-1 in the UIC game, SIUE rallied for three runs in the top of the eighth. Chaleen Rumpf was placed on second due to the international tiebreaker run. Lauren Zembruski singled her home for her team- leading 10th RBI of the season.
Kasey Schlafke followed up with her first home run of the season, a two-out and two-run blast that put the Cougars up 4-1. Schlafke, who was 3 for 4 with three RBIs, also provided an RBI double that had opened the game's scoring in the sixth inning.
In the WIU game, SIUE tallied the first run in the second inning. Samantha Stanicek reached on an infield error, moved to second on a single by Megan Murphy and scored on a base hit by Rumpf.
WIU tied the game in the sixth on an RBI single by Beth Golitko.
SIUE fought back in the bottom of the sixth. Designated player Laurie Siebert doubled to left with two outs off WIU starter Laurie Pankratz. After Paige Sheeder entered the game to run for Siebert, Stanicek singled her home with a base hit to center field.
EVANSVILLE 4, MURRAY STATE 3; LIPSCOMB 9, MURRAY STATE 2
NASHVILLE - The Murray State softball team lost two games at the Lady Bison Classic hosted by Lipscomb in Nashville, Tenn. The Racers (1-9) fell to Evansville in their opening game of the day, 4-3, before dropping a 9-2 decision to Lipscomb in the later game.
Sophomore Megan Glosser and freshman Kaitlyn England led the team with two hits, one in each game on the day. Sophomore Chelsey Sullivan pitched a complete game against Evansville and recorded five strike outs. Shelby Kosmecki tallied two strike outs in three innings of work against Lipscomb.
MSU will conclude the Lady Bison Classic with a 10 a.m. game against Eastern Kentucky, Sunday, March 7 at Draper Diamond.
Like the second game earlier in the week against Evansville, the Racers were the first to get on the scoreboard. MSU went up 1-0 in the bottom of the second. Stephanie Edwards reached on an error by the Purple Aces' short stop and then advanced to third when Stephanie England hit a double to left field. Edwards was batted in by Alaina Zloty one batter later when she singled.
The score remained 1-0, in favor of the Racers until the top of the fourth. Evansville then tallied three runs on a double and two home runs.
MSU cut the lead to one, 3-2, in the bottom of the fifth. Megan Glosser drew the walk with two outs and then stole second while Megan Belio was at bat. Belio then reached on an error by the short stop and Glosser scored when the throwing error left the field of play.
The Purple Aces added an insurance run in the top of the seventh with a base hit and two sacrifices, to make it 4-2. The Racers attempted a comeback in their final at bat. Glosser started off the inning by singling and advancing to second on a pass ball. Two batters later Lauren Buch hit a sacrifice fly just inside the grass in right center to score Glosser from third for the final score of 4-3.
Like the first game between the Racers and the Lady Bisons (March 5) in the Lady Bison Classic, Lipscomb was the first team to get on the scoreboard, with a one-run first inning.
MSU quickly took a 2-1 lead in the second inning. Lauren Buch reached on a fielder's choice as the second batter of the inning and then stole second to put herself in scoring position. Kaitlyn England then doubled to right field and scored Buch. England then scored after stealing third and obstruction was called on Lipscomb's third baseman after an errant throw that caused her to trip up England as she was rounding the base.
The Lady Bisons tied the game in the top of the third and then added four runs in the top of the fourth to go up 6-2. Lipscomb added to its lead in the top of the fifth with one run (7-2). The Lady Bisons added two final runs in the top of the seventh to earn the 9-2 victory.
MISSOURI 13, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0; MISSOURI STATE 7, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3
COLUMBIA, Mo.- The Southeast Missouri State softball team struggled in their final day of action at the Missouri Breast Cancer Awareness Tournament on Saturday. The Redhawks were run-ruled 13-0 by third-ranked Missouri in their first game of the day and followed that with a 7-3 loss to Missouri State.
They finished 0-4 in the tournament and have lost a season-high five-straight games.
Playing against the highest ranked foe in their history, the Redhawks (4-7) were overwhelmed by the Tigers. Freshman Lindsay Muller limited the Redhawks to five hits in five shutout innings for the win.
The Tigers (10-2) scored seven runs in the opening inning off of Redhawks ace Stefanie Barnes (James Logan/Union City, Calif.). Just three of those runs were earned as they capitalized on two crucial Redhawks errors.
Junior Whitney Dupuis (Sulphur/Sulphur, La.) came in to relieve Barnes in the second inning and shutout the Tigers for three innings. However the Tigers exploded for six runs in the top of the fifth off of Dupuis.
Muller provided the main blow in the inning with a three-run home run. Just one of the six runs scored were earned off of Dupuis.
The Redhawks had something going in the bottom of the third. They collected three-straight two-out singles to load the bases off of Muller. Renee Kertz (Notre Dame/St. Louis, Mo.) grounded out to third to end the threat.
Shelby Stein (Columbia/Columbia, Ill.) collected her third multi-hit game of the season and second of the tournament. She finished 2-3.
Junior Nicole Troncoso (Boston College/Palmdale, Calif.) saw her 14-game hitting streak come to an end as she finished 0-3.
Muller led the Tigers at the plate and in the circle. She added two singles to go with her fifth inning home run. She drove in four runs and scored twice. In the circle she won her first game of the season.
Barnes (2-4) lasted just one inning allowing seven runs on three hits and four walks.
In their final game of the tournament, the Redhawks couldn't avoid the big offensive inning by their opponents once again. The Bears (1-7) four-run fifth inning provided the difference.
The Bears got on the scoreboard first with a run in the bottom half of the second. The Redhawks answered with a run in the third.
Alex Ramirez (El Modena/Corona, Calif.) collected a one-out double to right center and moved to third on a Carmen Fowler (Collins Hill/Lawrenceville, Ga.) grounder. Kertz drove her in with a single to left to make it 1-1.
That tie was short-lived as the Bears scored two in their half of the third to grab a 3-1 lead.
The Redhawks were held scoreless the next two innings. Trailing 7-1 in the sixth, they managed to get two more runs across the plate courtesy of a Marisa Sanders (St. Clair/St. Louis, Mo.) two-run home run.
Lauren McGinley worked around a one-out walk to Stein in the seventh inning to record the complete game victory.
She allowed three runs on five hits and four walks.
Dupuis (2-3) lasted just 4.2 innings allowing four runs on six hits and four walks. Barnes allowed three runs on two hits in 1.1 innings of relief.
Offensively five Redhawks collected hits highlighted by Sanders' team-leading second home run of the season.
Stevie Pierce led the Bears with her grand slam home run in the fifth inning. Ashley Knehans added a two-run shot.