RUSTON, La.–
Ashley Ellis went 3-for-5 with a run scored, double, home run and seven RBI as Southeast Missouri (6-3) split two games at the Louisiana Tech Invitational Saturday. The Redhawks fell to Louisiana Tech, 11-3, and beat Fairleigh Dickinson, 8-0.
The Redhawks regrouped to claim another split in the second day of the Louisiana Tech Invitational. SEMO shook off a loss to undefeated and tournament host Louisiana Tech with a strong performance in its first meeting with Fairleigh Dickinson.
Ellis hit her team-high fourth home run of the season on a two-run shot to help SEMO get a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning and the Redhawks never looked back.
In the fourth inning, Ellis drove in two more runs on a single up the middle.
An inning later,
Mykaela Arellanes tripled home
Rachel Anderson and scored on the play to push SEMO's lead to 7-0.
Freshman
Anna Griffin belted her first career home run over the wall in right center to complete the shutout in the sixth inning.
The Redhawks pounded out 10 hits with two each coming from
Addison Barnouski, Ellis and
Claudia Gallo. Arellanes scored a game-high three runs.
Alexis Estes and
Haley Thogmartin combined on a two-hit shutout. Estes, who improved to 3-1, gave up one hit and struck out two in three innings.
Thogmartin then closed things out with seven strikeouts, one hit allowed and seven strikeouts.
SEMO loaded the bases during its first at-bat of the game.
Randi Dae Conway reached on an error and went to third on a double by Anderson. After a
Sarah Messex strikeout, Barnouski walked to load the bases. Ellis followed with a bases clearing double to left center giving the Redhawks a 3-0 lead.
Lousiana Tech countered with 11 unanswered runs, including five in the fifth inning, to pick up its eight win of the season.
The Lady Techters loaded the bases on three walks in the bottom of the first inning and pulled to within a run on Zoe Hicks' two-RBI single to left field.
Preseason Conference USA Player of the Year Morgan Turkoly led off the bottom of the third with a double to right and scored on Jaz Crowder's double down the left field line. Crowder later touched home on a bunt single by Marilyn Rizzato to give Louisiana Tech the lead.
After adding two more runs in the fourth inning, the Lady Techsters ended the game with five tallies in the fifth.
Lin Edwards singled home Bayli Simon and Kim Atienza drove in Edwards. Rizzato slugged a two-RBI double and Mary Terral capped the scoring with a RBI-hit up the middle.
Krystal De La Cruz (3-0) earned her third win of the season. She tossed five innings with seven strikeouts and allowed only one walk. De La Cruz tossed four shutout innings after SEMO put up three runs in the top of the first.
Rachel Rook (0-1) took the loss. Rook, in her first start of the season, struck out five, allowed five hits, gave up four runs and walked three in 2.1 innings.
Louisiana Tech collected a total of 13 hits. Turkoly (2), Rizzato (3) and Edwards (2) combined for seven of the hits. Rizzato also had a game-high four RBI.
Anderson went 2-for-3 with a run scored and Ellis was 1-for-2 with three RBI to lead the Redhawks in game one.
SEMO faces Mississippi Valley State in its Louisiana Tech Invitational finale Sunday.
