PEORIA, Ill. – #2 Southeast Missouri (27-24) pounded out 11 hits and used a five-run fourth inning to run-rule #1 Eastern Illinois (39-16), 10-1, Friday afternoon at the Ohio Valley Conference Softball Championship.
SEMO, the only unbeaten team left in this year's tournament, advances to face the winner of EIU and #4 Southern Indiana for the 2024 title Saturday.
The Redhawks are in the OVC Tournament final for the third time under Head Coach
Mark Redburn. SEMO's other championship round appearances came in 2019 and 2021.
Already up 4-0, SEMO sent 12 hitters to the plate in its crushing fourth-inning rout.
Brittany Affolter started the surge with a double to left field. Affolter's hit quickly chased OVC Freshman of the Year pitcher McKenzie Oslanzi.
Moments after Karlie McKenzie took over for Oslanzi in the circle,
Abigail Rickermann walked and
Paige Halliwill loaded the bases with an infield single.
Aubrie Shore followed with a two-RBI single and
Kat Sackett drove in two more with her first triple of the season. Sackett later touched home on a wild pitch to give SEMO a 9-0 advantage.
SEMO rattled EIU for three runs in the top of the second inning to grab an early lead.
With one out,
Marissa Peek doubled down the left field line. On the next play, shortstop Briana Gonzalez fielded a routine ground ball by
Brooklyn Saysoff and launched her throw over first baseman Rachel Kaufman. Peek advanced to third and Saysoff moved to second on the mishap.
Peek scored the game's first run on a passed ball and Saysoff touched home when
Sydney Dennis reached on a second error by the Panthers. Rickermann then drove in Dennis on a two-out single to put the Redhawks ahead, 3-0.
More shaky defense by EIU helped SEMO get another run in third.
Sackett belted a one-out single up the middle and moved into scoring position on another throwing error by Gonzalez. With runners at second and third, Dennis legged out an infield single and Sackett scored to push SEMO's lead to 4-0.
In her first career postseason start, freshman
Maddie Carney (6-6) went the distance. Carney was outstanding allowing only one run on five base hits in five innings. She recorded three strikeouts, as well.
Oslanzi (21-5) fell to her fifth loss of the season. She scattered six hits and gave up five runs in three innings.
Halliwill went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and Sackett finished at 2-for-4 with two runs, a triple and two RBI. Dennis was 2-for-3 with a run and one RBI. Eight of the nine starters in SEMO's lineup had a hit and the Redhawk defense did not commit an error.
The Redhawks ended EIU's seven-game winning streak.
Saturday's championship game is slated for 11 a.m., CT.
