March 11, 2002

Box Score

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Maybe it was the white jerseys. Wearing their brand new white tops for the first time this season, the Southeast Missouri State softball team was able to best Indiana State 6-2 on Monday afternoon. Southeast led 4-2 in the bottom of the first inning in game two before rain cancelled the second part of the doubleheader.

The victory snapped a six-game losing streak and ended the Otahkians worst start ever in 22 years of softball at Southeast. The win also prevented the Otahks from losing seven in a row for the first time in school history.

Indiana State (7-9) would crack the scoreboard first in game one after they loaded the bases with only one out. Catcher Stacy Sparger then drove a deep shot to right field that sacrificed in LF Melanie Newnum and put ISU up 1-0. After Southeast starter Rachel Van Fleet threw a wild pitch in the dirt it looked like the Sycamores would go ahead 2-0, however, Southeast catcher Alicia Loucks made a great play on the ball, forcing the runner to go back to third base and the Otahkians then caught 3B Jill Weiss too far off second base and she was thrown out to end the ISU threat.

Southeast (1-6) quickly answered the deficit by scoring for the first time this season in the second inning. The Otahkians leading hitter, RF Katie Cerneka, smashed a double to left-centerfield to start the scoring threat. Pinch runner Stacy DeClue came in to run for Cerneka and was sacrificed to third base by DP Emmy Kisaka. After CF Kemi Rampi reached on a fielder's choice, 3B Jamie Birk came through with her first RBI of the young season when she grounded out to shortstop and DeClue came home to tie the game at 1-1.

Cerneka would come through once again in the third inning when her blooping, two-out single fell into leftfield and brought LF Courtney Eklund home to give Southeast the 2-1 advantage. The next batter, CF Kemi Rampi, then picked a good time to come up with her first hit of the season. The junior ripped a pitch down the leftfield line that brought home 1B Reagan Hamlin and Cerneka. After seeing how nice it was for Rampi to get her first hit of the season, Jamie Birk decided it was time for her first hit, this time a grounder back up the middle that brought home Kisaka and Rampi and gave Southeast a 6-1 lead. The five runs in the third all came with two out. Also, the five runs in the inning were more than the Otahkians had scored in any total game this season.

The Sycamores added another run in the sixth when Sparger hit another sacrifice fly, this time scoring 1B Kate Gilner but it would not be enough for the victory.

Van Fleet (1-1) picked up her first collegiate victory. She threw a complete game, allowing six hits and two runs while walking three.

Cassie Reeser (4-5) picked up the loss for Indiana State. She went six innings, allowing six runs on nine hits and struck out seven.

Brooke Nett finished game one 3-3 on the day, all singles. For Indiana State, Gilner finished game one 3-3 from the plate as well.

Light drizzle started between games and Indiana State scored two in the top of the first. Southeast was able to answer with four in the bottom of the inning before the rains increased and forced the cancellation of the second game of the doubleheader.

"She got ahead of the hitters today," Southeast Coach Lana Richmond said of Van Fleet's performance. "We just need our pitchers to be more consistent and we'll be fine. It was nice to get a victory."

Southeast now travels to Rock Hill, S.C. to play in the Winthrop Tournament. The Otahkians will play four games in pool play before entering bracket play on Sunday. Southeast's first game is against Pittsburgh on Friday, March 5 at 1:00 p.m.