Softball Sweeps Much Needed Doubleheader From Austin Peay :: Kelly Birk's two-out, three run triple in the sixth inning completes game one comeback for Otahkians.

Kelly Birk's two-out, three run triple in the sixth inning completes game one comeback for Otahkians.

April 6, 2002

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo.- The Southeast Missouri State softball team swept a must-win doubleheader from the Austin Peay State Lady Govs on Saturday to even their conference record at 4-4 and gain some much needed momentum. The Otahkians used a two-out triple from freshman Kelly Birk in the sixth inning to come from behind in game one and win 3-2 and jumped out early in game two and eventually won 4-1.

"Kelly Birk played really good for us today," said Southeast coach Lana Richmond after the game. "It was critical for us to win and stay in the thick of things in the conference."

Austin Peay (12-24-1, 1-6-1 OVC) had its first good chance to score in the fourth inning with runners on second and third and only one out. But Southeast starter Kelly Birk did a marvelous job of getting out of the jam by striking out C Christina Garza and getting 3B Jessi Warden to ground out to first base to end the threat.

The Lady Govs would once threaten in the fifth inning when they loaded the bases with only one out. APSU pinch hitter Brooke Platt then drove a liner down the leftfield line that Otahkian LF Katie Cerneka made a diving catch on. Her effort saved multiple Austin Peay runs from scoring, although DP Heather Skeels would come home on the sacrifice on the play. With two outs, SS Jenny Kelley smashed a double to right-centerfield that scored 1B Christina Nickey and put Austin Peay up 2-0.

Southeast (7-16, 4-4 OVC) responded when SS Dawn Piantino, the Ohio Valley Conference leader in walks, walked to lead off the sixth inning and 1B Reagan Hamlin's double moved Piantino to third and put Southeast in business with no outs. After a groundout and hard liner to shortstop, Kelly Birk, now playing DH, tripled to right-center field and scored on a throwing error when the relay throw went into the Otahkian dugout. The triple and two RBI's put Southeast up 3-2, their first lead of the game.

Kristen King (1-6), who came in relief in the fifth inning, got the victory, her first of the season. King pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowing only one Lady Gov hit and struck out three. APSU reliever Megan Lane (1-5) took the tough loss. She relieved starter Lydia Money in the bottom of the sixth inning and allowed only the triple to Birk while facing three batters.

Four of the six Otahkian hits in game one went for extra bases in game one with three doubles (Nett, Hamlin and Cerneka) and the triple by Birk. Birk was 2-3 with the two RBI's and a run scored.

Southeast struck first in game two when Piantino singled through the left side, scoring C Alicia Loucks who had doubled to open the inning. Hamlin, the next batter, hit a blooping single to right field that scored Nett, who had singled earlier in the inning, and put the Otahks up 2-0.

The Otahkians struck again in the fourth inning when Nett singled home RF Courtney Eklund, who doubled to lead off the inning, increasing the Southeast lead to 3-0.

Austin Peay pushed its first run across the board in the fifth inning when SS Jenny Kelley singled to center with two outs to score LF Jennifer Travis. Kelley was thrown out trying to stretch her hit into a double but the run scored prior to her being thrown out and cut the Otahkian advantage to 3-1.

Southeast added their fourth run in fifth inning when Eklund laced her third hit of the game to centerfield, scoring pinch runner Michelle Lunsford all the way from first base and increasing the lead to 4-1, which would be the final margin.

Rachel Van Fleet (4-4) evened her record on the season by pitching a complete game, allowing eight hits and only one run. Holly Ricketts (3-9) took the loss, allowing seven hits and three runs for Austin Peay.

Eklund's bat came alive for Southeast in game two, as she went 3-3 with two doubles, an RBI and a run after going 0-3 in game one.

For the two games combined, Nett was 3-7 for Southeast with a double, RBI, run and two stolen bases. Birk was 3-6 with 2 RBI's on the day.

Kelley led APSU on the day by going 2-5 at the plate with two RBI's

Southeast has now won 32 of its last 33 games against Austin Peay.

The two teams will finish their three-game series with a single game tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. The game was originally schedule for a 1:00 p.m. start but has been moved up in hopes of completing the game before any rain moves through the area.