EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Southeast Missouri (12-19, 7-4) split a doubleheader with Southern Indiana (13-13, 7-4) Friday afternoon at USI Softball Field. The Redhawks dropped game one, 2-1, before blanking the Screaming Eagles, 6-0.
Mark Redburn picked up his 250th win as SEMO's head coach. Redburn is in his 10th year at the helm.
In just her third start of the season, freshman
Maddie Carney allowed just four hits in six scoreless innings to lead SEMO to its game two win. The Redhawks posted their second shutout of the season behind Carney's gem.
Offensively,
Abigail Rickermann scored the first two runs to get Carney a lead and SEMO never looked back.
Rickermann led off the contest with a double to left, went to third on a passed ball and scored on a sacrifice fly by
Paige Halliwill to grab the Redhawks a 1-0 edge in the top of the first inning.
In the third, Rickermann got on with a leadoff single, stole second, advanced to third on an error and scored on a base hit by
Kat Sackett.
Aubrie Shore followed with a double to bring home
Marissa Peek.
Zoe Schulte later walked with the bases loaded and Sackett scored to push SEMO's lead to 4-0.
The Redhawks tacked on their final two runs in the top of the fifth when
Tori Bradley singled home Shore and
Sydney Dennis stole home on the front end of a double steal.
Carney (2-4) struck out three and threw 86 pitches in her second-longest outing of the season. She also retired the Screaming Eagles in order in each of the second and fourth innings.
SEMO finished the day with nine hits, including two each by Rickermann, Sackett and Halliwill.
While Carney stole the show in game two, it was Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week Josie Newman who took the spotlight in USI's game one victory. Newman threw a complete game with 10 strikeouts to send the Screaming Eagles to their close one-run win.
USI pulled ahead in the bottom of the third inning. Back-to-back singles and an error loaded the bases with one out before Lexi Fair was hit by a pitch and Mackenzie Bedrick scored the first run. Sammie Kihega followed with a run-scoring single to give the Screaming Eagles a 2-0 advantage.
SEMO got on the board in the top of the fifth when Dennis doubled and
Tatum Gerwitz scored. Dennis, who tried to score on a single by Bradley, was thrown out at the plate keeping the score at 2-1.
The Redhawks had runners on first and second in the top of the seventh inning but stranded both runners when Newman got Dennis to fly out and struck out
Kynzie Wrigley to end the game.
Newman (11-5) gave up just one run on six hits and threw 109 pitches.
Paytience Holman (7-7) took the loss. Holman allowed two runs on six hits and struck out three in three innings.
Tegan Livesay threw three scoreless innings with one strikeout out of the bullpen.
Brittany Affolter went 2-for-3 to lead the Redhawks.
SEMO and USI wrap up their series at 12 p.m., CT Saturday.
