OXFORD, Ala.– Facing elimination 30 minutes after a dramatic 4-3 loss to #2 Jacksonville State (36-13), top-seeded Southeast Missouri (43-16) bounced back with an 11-8 win over #5 Eastern Kentucky (34-20) to set up a rematch with the Gamecocks in the championship round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
SEMO will get another crack at JSU at 11 a.m., CT, Saturday. The Redhawks will need to beat the Gamecocks twice to win the crown and earn the league's automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
Today's win over EKU gave
Mark Redburn his 300th in 15 years as a head coach. The victory also marked his 134th at the SEMO helm.
For the second day in a row, the Redhawks ambushed EKU at the start and knocked out the Colonels starting pitcher in a short one-third of an inning.
SEMO sent nine hitters to the plate in a five-run first inning.
Mykaela Arellanes led off the game with a single up the middle and
Claudia Gallo walked. With one out,
Ashley Ellis reached on a fielding error to load the bases.
Addison Barnouski followed with a two-RBI single through the left side scoring Gallo and Arellanes, and that was it for EKU starter Murphy McRoberts.
After the pitching change,
Sarah Messex smacked a two-RBI double to bring in Barnouski and pinch-runner
Mackenzie Long. Messex scored on a two-out single by
Parker Bandy to grab the Redhawks an early 5-0 lead.
SEMO stretched its lead with a hat trick of home runs in the top of the second.
Gallo started a string of three-straight solo bombs with a one-out home run to center field.
Rachel Anderson greeted EKU reliever Mollie Paulick with a home run to straightaway center on a full count. Ellis then drove Paulick's 1-1 offering for the third home run to sail over the center field wall. Ellis' home run, her team-high 16th, tied SEMO's all-time single season record.
Emily Corbitt hit a one-out home run for EKU's first run in the bottom of the fourth.
An inning later, EKu added two more runs courtesy of a RBI-single by Destinee Lizzmore and a stolen base by Melissa Jacobson.
The Colonels gave SEMO a scare during their last at-bat in the bottom of the seventh.
EKU scored five runs, batted around and narrowed the Redhawks lead to three on Melissa Jacobson's RBI-single. The Colonels had runners on the corners when Hannah Clark came to the plate representing the tying run. Clark, who leads EKU in RBI and ranks second on the team in home runs, flied out to center to end the game.
Haley Thogmartin (21-6) was credited with the win. Thogmartin collected six strikeouts in 4.2 innings. Thogmartin did not allow a walk and gave up five runs on five hits.
SEMO registered 12 hits for its 21st double-digit hit game of the year. Ellis, Barnouski, Messex and Bandy all had two apiece. Barnouski and Messex each added three RBI.
SEMO had OVC Pitcher of the Year Faith Sims on the ropes late in its first matchup of the day and just missed delivering the knockout punch.
Trailing, 4-1, after six-and-a-half innings,
Rachael Donald was hit by a pitch and gave way to pinch-runner Long. Long advanced on a wild pitch and Arellanes singled up the middle to score Long. Arellanes later scored when Ellis grounded out to short to make it a one-run game. With two outs, Barnouski was hit by a pitch and stole second.
Rachel Anderson was on third and Barnouski represented the game-winning run at second, but Sims forced
Kaylee Anderson to pop up to third base ending the threat.
SEMO nearly got by JSU, despite leaving six runners on base over the final three innings and going 2-for-11 (.143) with runners in scoring position.
JSU hit back-to-back home runs and scored all of its tallies in the top of the third inning.
Haley Sims hit a leadoff single up the middle and Jada Terry reached on an error to give the Gamecocks runners at first and second. Sidney Wagnon advanced the runners on a sacrifice-bunt and Anna Chisholm followed with a three-run home run to right. Taylor Bashears stepped in next and hit a solo shot to straightaway center on another 2-strike pitch. All four runs were unearned as SEMO committed two errors.
Sims improved to 23-4 this season after striking out 11 and walking one in seven innings. She also allowed three runs on seven hits and threw 140 pitches.
Additionally, JSU ran its record to 14-1 in OVC Tournament games at Choccolocco Park.
Rachel Rook (9-4) took the loss. Rook scattered three hits and gave up four runs, all unearned, to go along with four strikeouts in three frames.
Alexis Estes tossed four scoreless innings the rest of the way.
Messex went 2-for-3 with a home run and run scored. Messex, who has 10 home runs, became the fourth different Redhawk to get 10 round-trippers in 2019. Arellanes joined Messex with two hits, a run scored and one RBI. SEMO edged JSU, 7-5, in the hit column.
SEMO makes its first OVC Tournament championship appearance since 2011.
