PEORIA, Ill. – Kynzie Wrigley and Aubrie Shore combined for three hits and six RBI, and #2 Southeast Missouri (26-24) scored six runs in the late innings to blow by #3 Tennessee State (25-24), 9-2, Thursday morning at the Ohio Valley Conference Softball Championship.
 
SEMO advances to face the winner of #1 Eastern Illinois and #4 Southern Indiana Friday at 1:30 p.m., CT.
 
The Redhawks held a slight 3-2 edge in a tight ballgame through four innings before putting the pressure on the Tigers late.
 
SEMO loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the fifth when Paige Halliwill started things off with a single to left center. Kat Sackett and Halliwill were safe at first and second on a fielder's choice before Marissa Peek walked to pack the bases full of Redhawks. Aubrie Shore followed with a base hit to score Halliwill and Peek touched home on a sacrifice fly by Wrigley to widen SEMO's lead to 5-2.
 
The Redhawks loaded the bases again in the sixth. Sydney Dennis and Tatum Gerwitz reached on back-to-back infield hits. Two plays later, Halliwill singled to short. TSU pitcher Caitlyn Manus fielded a ground ball by Sackett and threw the ball off catcher Onnika Spencer's glove in attempt to get an out at home plate. Instead, two runs scored on the error. Peek lifted a sacrifice fly and Shore delivered a RBI-single to give the Redhawks a seven-run advantage. 
 
All four of SEMO's runs in the sixth inning were unearned and that buried the Tigers for good.
 
SEMO took its first lead of the game on a two-out double by Wrigley in the home half of the first. Wrigley smacked her fourth double of the season in the left center gap to score both Sackett and Shore.
 
The Redhawks added to their lead with one other unearned run in the bottom of the second.
 
Gerwitz reached on an error, went to second on a groundout and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Halliwill. Gerwitz then scored on a wild pitch to give SEMO a 3-1 cushion.
 
The Tigers pulled within a run in the top of the third inning with an unearned tally of their own. A wild play that included two errors allowed Ryla Traylor to score tightening things up at 3-2. 
 
TSU left eight runners on base and struggled with runners in scoring position going just 2-for-10 in those situations. Defensively, the Tigers committed four errors.
 
Second-Team All-OVC pitcher Paytience Holman (15-9) claimed her 15th win of the season in yet another strong performance. Holman pitched out of a bases loaded jam when the Redhawks were up a run in the top of the fifth.
 
Holman pitched her team-high ninth complete game allowing just two runs on six hits. Along the way, she recorded seven strikeouts and held TSU scoreless in the final four innings of the contest.
 
SEMO beat Manus (11-13) for the second time in 2024. Manus gave up nine runs on nine hits, struck out two and walked three in six innings. Five of the runs charged to Manus were unearned.
 
Offensively, the Redhawks finished with nine hits. Halliwill, Shore and Gerwitz each had two hits to lead the way. Six different SEMO players had a hit with Wrigley, Brittany Affolter and Dennis close behind with one apiece.
 
The Redhawks, who are in their 22nd OVC Tournament in program history, picked up their 50th OVC Tournament win. SEMO is now 50-34 all-time in OVC Tournament games.