PEORIA, Ill. – Paytience Holman pitched a two-hitter and six shutout innings to send #2 Southeast Missouri (28-24) to the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference title with a 4-2 victory over #1 Eastern Illinois (40-17) Saturday at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex.
 
SEMO went 3-0 in the eight-team event to nail down its second NCAA Tournament berth under Head Coach Mark Redburn and third all-time in program history. 
 
The OVC Tournament title is the Redhawks' seventh all-time and second with Redburn at the helm. SEMO last won the tournament in 2019 on this exact date (May 11) when it defeated Jacksonville State in a winner-take-all matchup in Oxford, Alabama.
 
Heading into this weekend's tournament, Redburn was quick to mention that his team needed to hit, pitch, and defend well to get a chance to dance in this year's NCAA Tournament. SEMO was spectacular in all of those areas. 
 
A Second-Team All-OVC selection, Holman held EIU scoreless through six innings. EIU scored for the only time off Holman when McKenzie Oslanzi hit a two-run home run with one out in the top of the seventh. Abigail Rickermann made an outstanding catch drifting into shallow right field for the first out of the frame.
 
Holman gave way to freshman left-hander Willow Van Haren who got Sophia Olman to hit into a fielder's choice. Van Haren then threw out Marama Makea on a ground ball back to her ending the game and picking up her first career save in the process.
 
A native of Mexico, Missouri, Holman did an excellent job of keeping the Panthers off balance.
 
Kendall Grover drove Holman's first pitch into right field for a single in the top of the first inning and that was the Panthers' only hit until the home run in the seventh.
 
Holman retired 19 of the hitters she faced recording 11 groundball outs, getting eight fly ball outs and forcing Rachel Kaufmann to hit into a big double play after Grover's leadoff hit in the first.
 
SEMO broke through for all of its runs against Olivia Price in the bottom of the third inning.
 
First-Team All-OVC outfielder and OVC Tournament Most Valuable Player Paige Halliwill, ahead 2-0 in the count, sent a jolt into the Redhawks when she launched her seventh home run of the season over the center field wall. Aubrie Shore walked and Kat Sackett singled immediately after Halliwill's bomb.
 
With two outs, Sydney Dennis ripped a double in the left center gap to score Sackett and pinch-runner Sophie Schupp. Tatum Gerwitz followed with a single and Dennis scored to give SEMO a 4-0 advantage.
 
Holman (16-9) worked 6.1 innings en route to her team and career-high 16th victory. She was named to the OVC All-Tournament Team.
 
Price (12-10) took the loss. Price gave up four runs on seven hits, struck out three and walked two in three innings. SEMO roughed up Price for a total of 11 runs and 16 hits in two games this year.
 
The Redhawks finished with eight hits. Halliwill went 2-for-3 with a run scored and one RBI. Dennis and Gerwitz combined for four hits, one run and three RBI out of the bottom third of SEMO's lineup. Dennis and Gerwitz were SEMO's other OVC All-Tournament honorees.
 
SEMO last eliminated the Panthers when EIU was a #1 seed in 2011. That tournament was in Charleston, Illinois. Additionally, the Redhawks went unbeaten in an OVC Tournament for the third time. SEMO also accomplished that feat in 1994 and 1999.
 
The Redhawks have heated up to win 16 of 20 games since the beginning of April.
 
For the OVC Tournament, Halliwill hit .667 (6-for-9) with five runs, one home run, one RBI, nine total bases, one stolen base and a 1.000 slugging percentage. Gerwitz and Dennis followed hitting .556 apiece and Holman went 2-0 with a 1.58 ERA, one complete game and seven strikeouts in 13.1 innings.
 
The 2024 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament will be revealed live during the selection show Sunday at 6 p.m., CT. It will air live on ESPN2. Regional action will begin later that week on May 16, and the tournament culminates with the 2024 Women's College World Series starting on May 30 in Oklahoma City.
 
SEMO's softball team will gather to watch the Selection Show at Wings Etc. in Cape Girardeau Sunday. The Redhawks will arrive at 5:15 p.m. The event is open to the public.