STARKVILLE, Miss.– Southeast Missouri (12-4) advanced to the championship game of the Bulldog Slamboree when it split a pair of games Saturday. The Redhawks fell to tournament host #22 Mississippi State (23-3), 2-0, and beat Bryant (2-10), 8-0, in five innings.
SEMO shutout Bryant for the second time in the tournament and will get another crack at the nationally-ranked MSU in the championship game Sunday.
The Redhawks capitalized on four errors to score five unearned runs against Bryant.
SEMO keyed its sixth shutout victory of the season with a four-run first inning.
The Redhawks scored in the first inning for the ninth time.
Rachel Anderson was hit by a pitch, went to second on a wild pitch and quickly scored on an ensuing single by
Madison Harris.
Ashley Ellis knocked in Harris on a single to right.
Chelsy Pena and Ellis later scored with the help of a two-out error to put SEMO ahead, 4-0.
SEMO added to its lead in the bottom of the third inning when
Austine Pauley doubled home
Ashley Emert and
Anna Griffin.
Pena and
Danina Marton contributed RBI-hits to bring in the Redhawks other two runs, including one in the fourth and another in the fifth.
Marisa Davis (1-0) picked up her first win of the season. Davis allowed only two hits, struck out three and walked none in four scoreless innings.
Kaylee Anderson pitched the final inning out of the bullpen.
Ellis went 2-for-3 with a run scored and one RBI to lead SEMO which outhit Bryant, 8-3.
In the morning game, Anna Kate Segard hit a two-run walkoff home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to give #22 Mississippi State the win.
Madisyn Kennedy reached on an error before Segars stepped in and hit a home run over the center field wall to end the game.
Addison Barnouski had SEMO's lone hit of the game, an infield single in the top of the seventh.
Freshman
Paytience Holman (1-2) went the distance with two strikeouts in six innings. Holman allowed two runs on five hits and walked one, as well.
Emily Williams (5-0) remained undefeated in the circle. Williams pitched a complete game one-hit shutout with nine strikeouts. Only three SEMO hitters reached base against her.