PHOTO GALLERY
FRIDAY'S SCORES
#6 Eastern Kentucky 5, #4 Eastern Illinois 0
#2 UT Martin 4, #8 Belmont 0
#1 Jacksonville State 6, #3 SIUE 2
#2 UT Martin 5, #6 Eastern Kentucky 3
EASTERN KENTUCKY 5, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
OXFORD, Ala. -Eastern Kentucky ended EIU softball's OVC Tournament run Friday morning defeating the Panthers 5-0. With the loss Eastern Illinois' season comes to an end with a 28-21 overall record.
Taylor Monahan finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate recording half of EIU's hits in the game and one stolen base.
The Colonels took an early lead in the bottom of the second inning with back-to-back singles to open the inning. EKU eventually loaded the bases with two outs after Kelly Wood was hit by a pitch. Krislyn Campos drew a walk on the following at-bat to bring a runner in and put EKU ahead 1-0.
EKU broke the game open in the top of the sixth inning loading the bases with two singles and a walk off the first three batters. Kelly Wood cleared the bases on the next at-bat with a double to right center field advancing to third on the throw home. Wood came in to score off a sacrifice fly on the following at-bat to give the Colonels a 5-0 lead at the end of the inning.
Jessica Wireman recorded the loss on the mound going five innings and throwing two strikeouts to close out the season 16-13 overall.
The Panthers threatened multiple times against EKU, but could not capitalize leaving 10 runners stranded throughout the game.
EKU's Paige Murphy finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored.
UT MARTIN 4, BELMONT 0
OXFORD, Ala. - After struggling to score in the team’s first two contests of the Ohio Valley Conference Softball Championship, the University of Tennessee at Martin capitalized by hitting a pair of home runs to survive and advance past Belmont 4-0 on Friday afternoon.
The Skyhawks (38-17) would outlast Mother Nature in a game which would be delayed twice due to severe weather concerns and total over two hours and eight minutes. Despite the rainy conditions and pair of delays, the Skyhawks would cruise through the contest with the help of four different scoring innings and yet another strong pitching performance by Brooke Kennedy.
After tossing a shutout in the tournament opener against Tennessee Tech and allowing just one earned run against SIUE, Kennedy once again proved why she deserved All-OVC honors. Kennedy notched her 22nd victory of the season while recording her fifth shutout. She would allow just three hits on the day while striking out 10 in the complete game victory.
Offensively, the Skyhawks were paced by senior Carly Gonzales who improved upon her school record streak of 31 games reaching base by tallying her 20th multi-hit performance of the season with a pair of base knocks and a RBI. Carrying the big bats was the trio of Jodie Duncan and Alli Fulcher who both launched solo home runs following lengthy delays.
UT Martin would waste little time getting into the scoring column in the contest. A leadoff double down the left field line by Gonzales would get the Skyhawks off on the right foot before a pair of sacrifice bunts by both Lauren Myers and Gracyn McBride would bring the speedster home to score the game’s first run.
The Skyhawks would add another run in the top of the third inning after an oddity. Following an infield single by Savannah Dodson, the second baseman would attempt to steal second before moving all the way to third as the return throw from the catcher caromed off the helmet of Gonzales in the batter’s box. Despite being struck in the helmet just two pitches earlier, Gonzales would hang in for the at bat before lacing a single up the middle to stretch the lead out to two runs.
Following the scoring inning for the Skyhawks, lightning concerns would postpone the game for 46 minutes. After an all clear was given to return to action, Duncan would show little signs of rust in the top of the fourth as she hammered a 2-1 pitch just left of dead center for a solo home run – her eighth of the season.
With the game under control in the final inning, Fulcher would officially put the game out of reach by knocking a solo home run to left center for her sixth of the season. With the game at a 4-0 score, the Skyhawks would cruise to the victory.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 6, SIUE 2
OXFORD, Ala. - After first pitch was delayed two hours because of rain, Jacksonville State came out swinging in its 6-2 win over third-seeded SIUE to advance to the championship game of the 2017 Ohio Valley Conference Softball Tournament at Choccolocco Park.
The top-seeded Gamecocks (39-10) plated three first-inning runs and never looked back in downing the third-seeded Cougars (40-12) for the third time in three meetings this season. The most recent of those wins puts JSU in the championship game of the double-elimination tournament without a blemish on its record.
That game will begin at 12:30 p.m. at Choccolocco Park against the winner of the 10 a.m. game on Saturday. That winner will have to defeat the Gamecocks twice, while one JSU win will clinch the OVC's automatic bid into the NCAA Softball Championship.
Cadi Oliver and Taylor Sloan each recorded two hits in the game, while Stephanie Lewis and Sloan drove in two runs apiece. After the Gamecocks grabbed the early lead, their ace went to work, earning her 20th win of the season and here second in as many head-to-head battles with SIUE's ace Haley Chambers-Book.
JSU jumped on Chambers-Book, who was voted the OVC Pitcher of the Year, early when Anna Chisolm led off the game by hitting an 0-1 pitch to center field for a double. Two batters later, Alexus Jimmerson scored Chisolm with a single through the right side, before Lewis drilled a two-run home run over the centerfield fence, which put the Gamecocks ahead by three runs before Gillespie even took the circle.
When she (20-4) took the circle in the bottom half of the inning, SIUE strung together three-straight hits that resulted in the Cougars' first run of the game when Zoe Schafer drove in Alyssa Heren from third base. After surrendering the run, Gillespie settled down to allow just four hits over the course of the game's remaining six innings, which included a solo home run by Sarah Lopesilvero with one out in the bottom of the seventh.
Jacksonville State added a single run in the top of the fifth when Taylor Sloan brought home pinch runner Anna Snider on a two-out, infield single. Two innings later, Sloan plated the sixth Gamecock run of the afternoon when she singled home Oliver after her leadoff double off of the base of the center field wall. Sloan's second RBI single of the game was ripped down the first-base line, just out of the SIUE defender's reach. Jimmerson then finished a 12-pitch at bat by making it 6-1 JSU on a sacrifice fly to center that scored Chisolm from third base.
On the afternoon, Gillespie, a First-Team All-OVC Pitcher, threw 110 pitches to 27 SIUE batters, scattering seven hits over seven innings, surrendering two earned runs, striking out four and not issuing a walk. She hasn't issued a walk in the last 15.1 innings in this year's conference tournament. She also forced the Cougars into seven comebackers to the mound that were part of 12 ground ball outs.
Chambers-Book (26-7) took the loss after allowing six earned runs on eight hits and struck out just one Gamecock batter in seven innings of work.
UT MARTIN 5, EASTERN KENTUCKY 3
OXFORD, Ala. - The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team played its second game of the day with a similar result to remain alive in the Ohio Valley Conference Softball Championship on Friday evening after picking up a 5-3 victory over Eastern Kentucky in the consolation bracket.
The Skyhawks (39-17) equaled the team’s highest total win output since winning the league in 2012 with their 39 victory of the season. The win also marked the Skyhawks third win in the OVC Softball Championship.
UT Martin would bang out 10 hits on the evening – ranking as a tournament-high for the team in four games. Jodie Duncan led the way with her first three-hit day of the season while driving in three runs – including a two-run home run in the third. Meanwhile the duo of Lauren Myers and Savannah Dodson also tallied multi-hit nights. Duncan’s three RBIs would lead the Skyhawks while Myers and Alli Fulcher would both drive in one run each.
In the pitching circle the Skyhawks stayed with a reliable arm in senior Brooke Kennedy (23-6) who notched her 23rd win of the season. Despite pitching complete games in all four contests in the tournament, Kennedy still managed to allow just four base hits while striking out three.
UT Martin would score its first run in the top of the first inning. Gonzales would stretch her school record streak to 32 consecutive games reaching base following a catcher’s interference call before moving into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Myers. Following another out, Duncan would tally her first of three RBIs with a two-out double to left center to score Gonzales.
The Skyhawks would add to their lead in the top of the third with familiar names once again. Gonzales this time would lead off the inning with a single through the left side before once again moving over to second on a sacrifice bunt. With two outs and Duncan at bat once again, the lefty would smoke a two-run home run over the right field wall to tally her second home run of the day and ninth of the season – making it a 3-0 advantage.
Eastern Kentucky would finally get on the board in the third inning in a big way. Back-to-back singles by Mia Sanchez and Rachel Minogue would put a pair of runners on base with one out. With a prime scoring opportunity at hand, All-OVC honoree Johnkyria Alston would smash a three-run home run to right center to tie the game at three runs apiece.
UT Martin would look to quickly respond in the top of the fifth. An infield single by Myers would start the rally followed by another single through the left side by Duncan to put runners on first and second. After battling off a couple touch pitches, Fulcher would turn on a 1-2 pitch and drive in the go-ahead run with a single to left field.
Looking for a little insurance, the Skyhawks would add another run in the top of the sixth. Senior Renate Meckl would lay down a bunt single followed by a single through the left side by Dodson to put runners on first and second with one out. A fielder’s choice would almost stall the scoring opportunity but Myers would pull a single through the right side to bring home Dodson on the play and give the Skyhawks its final score of 5-3.
UT Martin will return to action on the final day of the OVC Softball Championship on Saturday, May 13. The Skyhawks will look to win the consolation bracket with a rematch against SIUE at 10 a.m. The winner of the contest will play top-seeded Jacksonville State for the OVC Championship title at 12:30 p.m.