April 3, 2005

Box Score

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - (Sunday, April 03, 2005) The Southeast Missouri State softball team exploded for 14 runs in game two of their doubleheader with Ohio Valley Conference opponent Tennessee State at Tiger Field Sunday afternoon. The Redhawks rebounded from their 3-1 loss in game one to the Tigers for the 14-0 victory.

The Redhawks (16-13, 5-4 OVC) capitalized on four Tiger (5-22, 1-8 OVC) errors in the top of the first to score a season-high eight runs in a single inning. Michelle Summers (Glendale, CA/Hoover) got things started when she reached and advanced to second on a throwing error by the Tigers third baseman. She moved to third on a Victoria Torrez (Garden Grove, CA/Cypress CC) sacrifice bunt. Kelly Birk (Huntington Beach, CA/Edison HS) singled to right to drive in Summers for the Redhawks first run of the game.

Megan McDonald (Cape Girardeau, MO/Cape Central) moved Birk to second with a single of her own. The Redhawks loaded the bases when Lyndsey Webb (Las Vegas, NV/Las Vegas HS) reached on a fielding error by the third baseman. Stephanie Huffman (Valmayer, IL/Forest Park CC) then hit a grounder to third that was misplayed allowing Birk to score. Webb and McDonald later scored on another botched Tigers play. Huffman then scored on a pass ball to make it 5-0.

Stephanie Mata (Wheeling, IL/Wheeling HS) walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch that would allow Lindsay Pickering (St. Charles, MO/St. Charles West HS) to score. Summers made her second appearance at the plate of the inning and lined a double to right center to knock in Mata. Torrez followed with a single to right center to drive in Summers to give the Redhawks their final run of the inning and putting the Tigers in the hole 8-0.

The Redhawks added four in their half of the second to make it 12-0. McDonald led-off with a single. Webb then collected her seventh double of the season and her eighth RBI of the year driving in pinch runner Charlene Ramirez (Walnut, CA/Mt. San Antonio CC). Pickering then singled to right center scoring Webb. Mata tripled to knock in Pickering and scored when the rightfielder had problems fielding the ball in the corner.

In the fifth inning the Redhawks scored two more runs to end the game after five innings due to the mercy rule. Katie Otterness (Schaumburg, IL/Hoffman Estates) picked up her first hit of the season and her first RBIs of the year when she drove in Torrez and Summers with a double to left center.

Amy Fahnestock (Ste. Genevieve, MO/Wabash CC) again pitched the whole game, her 11th complete game of the season, to pick-up her team-leading tenth win of the season and second win of the series. She allowed no runs on four hits and struck out four for her fourth shutout of the season.

In the series she pitched 11.0 innings allowing only six hits and one run as well as striking out eight.

Nine different Redhawks collected hits as they scored 14 runs on 10 hits and six Tiger errors.

The 14 runs are the most runs scored by a Southeast team since March 9, 2003 when Southeast scored 17 runs against Lipscomb.

In the game one the Tigers won their first OVC game of the season when Kristina Blair shutdown the Redhawks bats with a complete game four-hitter.

The Redhawks scored their only run in the first when Torrez scored on a fielding error by the Tigers rightfielder.

The Tigers countered with two runs in their half of the first and later added a run in the fifth for the final 3-1 margin.

The Redhawks head back home to face regional rival Southern Illinois on Wednesday, April 6 at the Southeast Softball Complex. The game is scheduled to be a doubleheader with game one starting at 3:00 p.m.