March 19, 2002

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

MT. PLEASANT, S.C.- The Southeast Missouri Otahkian softball team was able to win the first game of a doubleheader from the College of Charleston 6-2 before dropping the nightcap by a margin of 3-1. With the win in game one, the Otahkians won consecutive games for the first time this season.

Southeast was powered on the day by 1B Reagan Hamlin who was 4-7 at the plate. Freshman pitcher Rachel Van Fleet pitched a solid game in the opener, picking up her third victory of the season. Van Fleet has been the winning pitcher in all three of the Otahkians wins this season.

In game one, Southeast (3-10) wasted little time scoring. SS Dawn Piantino walked to lead off the inning and would score when CF Kemi Rampi reached on an error by the first baseman and advanced all the way to third base. RF Courtney Eklund then doubled in Rampi to put the Otahkians up 2-0.

The Otahkians added another run in the fourth inning by once again taking advantage of a leadoff walk. After 3B Jamie Birk walked and Michelle Lunsford pinch ran for her and stole second, LF Erica Bonilla singled up the middle to set up runners on the corners with nobody out. Piantino would then hit a sacrifice fly that would score Lunsford and extend the advantage to 3-0.

In the sixth, C Jennifer Cobin led off the inning with a single and was pinch ran for by Shelley Conroy. Conroy was sacrificed to second by J. Birk and scored on a single by Rampi to give Southeast the 4-0 lead.

The Cougars (11-16) loaded the bases after a double by Jessica Schwartzkopt, a single by Martha McCall and a hit-by-pitch of Amanda Cone. Fortunately for Southeast and starter Rachel Van Fleet, CofC would manage only two runs, thanks to a single by SS Beth Long and a fielder's choice off the bat of DP Stephanie Owens.

But the damage would not effect the Otahks bats, as a third leadoff walk doomed Charleston. Eklund walked to lead off the inning and after Alicia Loucks pinch ran for her and advanced to second on a pass ball, Loucks would score after Reagan Hamlin singled to right and the Cougars Lauren Rabun mishandled the ball. Jamie Birk would then single home Kisaka, who had walked earlier in the inning, to extend the lead to its final margin at 6-2.

Van Fleet (3-2) earned her third victory of the season by going seven innings and allowing two runs and eight hits. Marissa Echenique (6-7) took the loss for the Cougars after allowing six runs, four of which were earned, in six-plus innings.

Schwartzkopf led Charleston in game one by going 3-4, all of which were doubles. Hamlin was 2-4 for the Otahkians in the opener.

The second game started slower with the teams remaining scoreless until the top of the fourth. 2B Brooke Nett was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. It was the 23rd time in her career she has been hit, a Southeast all-time record. After two groundouts put Nett on thirdbase, Hamlin doubled to left-centerfield to put the Otahks up 1-0.

Schwartzkopf would then come up with a timely hit for CofC, after the bases were loaded with only one out. Her single through the right side scored Rabun and put Charleston on the board and started a big inning. A fielder's choice and a single by Cone scored two more runs and put the Cougars up 3-1, which would be the final score.

After the Otahkians went scoreless in the sixth inning, Kelly Birk entered the game to relieve the starter Kristen King. Birk came through big for Southeast, getting Schwartzkopf to pop up with the bases loaded to give the Otahks one last chance in the seventh.

But with runners on first and second and two outs, Conroy flew out to centerfield to end the game.

King (0-4) took the loss for Southeast, allowing three runs on only six hits. Birk pitched one inning allowing only one hit. Melissa Creeger (3-7) went the distance for the Cougars allowing only a pair of Hamlin singles over seven innings.

Southeast ends its Spring Break trip with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader with the Billikens of Saint Louis University in St. Louis on Thursday.