CHARLESTON, Ill. –
Kynzie Wrigley went 4-for-7 with two runs, a pair of doubles, one home run and four RBI as Southeast Missouri (28-12, 20-2) split a doubleheader with Eastern Illinois (31-19, 16-6) Saturday at Williams Field. SEMO dropped game one, 7-6, before winning the nightcap, 5-1.
SEMO picked up its 20th win in Ohio Valley Conference play and 17th in 18 league contests.
The Redhawks gave left-hander
Marisa Davis a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning when
Sydney Melton and Wrigley delivered back-to-back RBI-doubles with two outs.
Jillian Anderson reached on a leadoff triple to right center and scored on a sacrifice fly by
Sydney Dennis to extend SEMO's margin to 3-0 in the third.
SEMO tacked on two more runs in the top of the sixth inning courtesy of Melton who belted her first career home run over the left field wall. Melton's second hit of the game polished off the win.
Davis (9-2) struck out five and walked two. She shutout EIU for 6.2 innings. The only run the Panthers scored against her was unearned with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.
SEMO finished with 10 hits, including two from Wrigley, Melton and
Zoe Schulte.
In game one, EIU scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and won on a two-out walkoff single by Amber Cieplinski. Kendall Grover scored the winning run on Cieplinski's hit.
Wrigley hit a two-run home run to right field giving SEMO a 6-4 edge in the top of the eighth before EIU pulled off its come-from-behind victory. The Panthers overcame two-run deficits twice in the final two innings.
EIU took an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Cieplinski and Morgan Lewis delivered back-to-back RBI-hits to give the Panthers a quick advantage.
With two outs in the top of the third, Anderson walked, advanced to second on an ensuing single by
Paige Halliwill and scored SEMO's first run on
Aubrie Shore's base hit to left.
An inning later, the Redhawks tied the game when Wrigley hit a two-out double to left center and
Kat Sackett scored to make it a 2-2 contest.
SEMO took its first lead in a two-run, three-hit fifth inning.
Halliwill singled through the right side and stole second to get into scoring position. After Shore popped up,
Alyson Tucker singled to shortstop and Halliwill went to third. Melton pinch ran for Tucker and stole second. On the next play, Dennis singled up the middle scoring both Melton and Halliwill to put the Redhawks ahead, 4-2.
SEMO (12) and EIU (14) combined for 26 hits on the front end of the twin bill.
Halliwill, Shore, Dennis and Wrigley each had two hits to lead the way. Wrigley added three RBI and a run scored, as well.
Paytience Holman (6-7) suffered the loss. Holman gave up five runs on eight hits, struck out one and walked four in 4.2 innings of relief.
Alexa Rehmeier (7-5) was credited with the win out of the Panthers bullpen.
SEMO faces EIU once more in its regular-season finale Sunday.
