NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Southeast Missouri (7-6) picked up two wins in the opening day of the Lipscomb University Purple & Gold Challenge Friday. The Redhawks beat the College of Charleston (5-12) and tournament host Lipscomb (4-11), 7-1.
Against CofC and with the international tiebreaker rule in effect,
Kynzie Wrigley delivered a two-RBI double to left center to break a 2-2 tie in the top of the 10th giving the Redhawks their largest lead of the game at 4-2.
However, CofC loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the inning and scored twice to bring the game to a 4-4 deadlock. Payton Wade scored the tying run on a wild pitch and Kayla Oh was thrown out at the plate attempting to score what would have been the winning run on the same play.
SEMO pulled ahead for the final time in the top half of the 11th when
Aubrie Shore reached on a fielder's choice and
Alyson Tucker scored the decisive run.
SEMO took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning after Tucker walked and came around to score with the help of a
Kaylee Anderson double and groundout by
Kat Sackett. The Redhawks are outscoring opponents by a count of 30-1 in the first inning this year.
Rachel Rook was off to another excellent start in the circle retiring the first 14 hitters she faced.
Then, with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, CofC tied the game on a solo home run by Carsten Puckett.
The Redhawks regained a one-run edge on a two-out RBI-single by Sackett in the top of the ninth, but the Cougars answered with a run of its own during their turn in the ninth to send the game to extra innings.
Rook (5-3) wound up getting the win after striking out eight and allowing only one run on one hit. She re-entered the game in the 10
th inning and ended the Cougars bases loaded threat. Rook then retired CofC in order during the 11
th to finish off her victory.
SEMO outhit CofC, 7-2, and left 10 runners on base.
Wrigley and
Tatum Gerwitz paced the Redhawks with two hits each. Wrigley and Sackett each had two RBI, as well.
Payton Lemire (0-6) remained winless this season after suffering the loss for CofC.
A five-run sixth inning sent SEMO to a 5-0 win over LU, the Redhawks third shutout of the season.
Shore snapped a five-inning scoreless drought with a two-run home run, her team-high third of the year. Sackett scored on the play after reaching on a double to left center prior to Shore's at-bat. With two outs,
Sydney Dennis drove in two runs on a single up the middle and K. Anderson followed with a hit to grab SEMO a 5-0 advantage.
SEMO tacked on two more runs to complete its scoring in the top of the seventh. Another two-out hit, this time a double to right field by Tucker knocked in both
Chelsy Pena and Shore to put the Redhawks second win of the day on ice.
In her first start of the season after returning from injury,
Paytience Holman (1-0) went the distance. Holman gave up only one run on seven hits, struck out four, walked one and tossed 6.2 shutout innings en route to her first win. She threw 99 pitches.
SEMO pounded out 10 hits with K. Anderson, Shore and Tucker contributing two apiece. Shore went 2-for-3 with two runs, a home run and two RBI, while Anderson and Tucker also added a pair of RBI.
The Redhawks resume play at the Purple and Gold Challenge with games against CofC (10 a.m.) and Dayton (5:30 p.m.) Saturday.
