OXFORD, Ala. – #4 Southeast Missouri (28-22) dropped #8 SIU Edwardsville (19-34) into the loser's bracket of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament with a commanding 9-1 victory Wednesday night at Choccolocco Park.
 
Third baseman Kynzie Wrigley, hitting out of the cleanup spot, fell a triple shy of hitting for the cycle to key SEMO's postseason opening win. Wrigley went 4-for-4 with two runs, a double, two singles, one home run and three RBI during her big night.
 
SEMO, which was swept in three games by SIUE earlier this year, jumped on the Cougars quickly and never let up.
 
Ahead, 1-0, after scoring the game's first run in the bottom of the first, SEMO broke the game open with four more in the bottom of the third inning, all with two outs. 
 
The Redhawks had the bases loaded when Tori Bradley walked and Kaylee Anderson scored. On the next play, Abigail Rickermann cleared the bases with a triple to left field pushing SEMO's lead to 5-0. For Rickermann, it was the third triple of her career.
 
Wrigley stayed hot at the plate and ran her hitting streak to five games to get the Redhawks going early. Coming off a big series vs. Belmont, Wrigley delivered a two-out opposite field double off the left field wall to score Rickermann in the first inning.
 
SIUE, after going scoreless for three frames, got on the board with a solo home run by Lauryn Yslava in the top of the fourth. 
 
SEMO continued to pounce on the Cougars when Wrigley hit a one-out single to left, advanced to third on a double by Anderson and scored on a groundout by Kat Sackett. Chelsy Pena then stepped in and knocked in Anderson on a two-out single to center making it 7-1 in favor of the Redhawks.
 
Wrigley came up one more time in the bottom of the fifth inning and belted a two-run home run to end the shortened run-rule ballgame.
 
Her four hits marked a career-high.
 
As a team, SEMO outhit SIUE, 11-2. Anderson and freshman Sydney Dennis followed with two hits each and Rickermann added a career-best three RBI out of the leadoff spot in the lineup.
 
Rachel Rook (18-9), in her seventh career OVC Tournament start, struck out three and allowed only two hits in five innings. Rook did not allow a walk and shutout SIUE in four frames. She broke SEMO's all-time single-season strikeout record with 203 this year.
 
Mia Haynes (8-18) took the loss. Haynes worked 2.2 innings allowing five runs on five hits, walking five and striking out one along the way.
 
The Redhawks, who are in their 20th OVC Tournament all-time, advance to face top-seeded Murray State Thursday at 12:30 p.m., CT.