April 20, 2002

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

MOREHEAD, Ky.- Entering an important three-game series with Morehead State, Southeast Missouri had its bats come alive as the team exploded for 16 runs and 24 hits in a doubleheader sweep of the Eagles on Saturday. Kelly Birk pitched six strong innings in game one in picking up her sixth victory of the season and Reagan Hamlin was huge, going 4-8 on the day with five RBI's and two homeruns, including a grand slam in game two.

Southeast (12-22, 9-10 OVC) struck first in game one when CF Kemi Rampi doubled with one out in the third inning. After Rampi had advanced to third on a wild pitch, 2B Brooke Nett singled to rightfield to score Rampi and put the Otahks up 1-0. Southeast would go on to load the bases with only one out but could not score another run.

Morehead State (9-28-1, 5-10-1 OVC) would put two runners on in the bottom of the inning, but each was thrown out at second base trying to steal. After failing to capitalize in the bottom of the third, Morehead would suffer for that in the fourth inning.

1B Reagan Hamlin singled with one out in the fourth and was pinch ran for by Erica Bonilla. After DP Kristy Roherty reached on a throwing error, Rampi came through again, singling to rightfield to score Bonilla. But Southeast was not done scoring as Nett singled down the leftfield line scoring Roherty. Following a Dawn Piantino walk the bases were once again loaded, but Southeast would make the Eagles pay this time. RF Courtney Eklund singled home Rampi and Nett and increased the Southeast lead to 5-0.

Southeast scored its sixth run of the game in the fifth when Hamlin homered to left-centerfield for her first homerun of the 2002 season.

Southeast added its final run in the top of the seventh when LF Shelley Conroy singled to open the inning, stole second base, advanced to third on a single by pinch hitter Christine Knobbe and scored on a wild pitch.

Leading 7-0 entering the bottom half of the inning, Rachel Van Fleet entered the game for starter Kelly Birk. Birk had only allowed four hits through six innings of work for Southeast. Not able to get anything going against Birk, the Eagles welcomed the change in pitcher. Pinch hitter Sara Hacker singled to the rightfield line for two runs to cut the lead to 7-2 and then Van Fleet retired the next two MSU batters and looked to be out of the inning. Van Fleet then walked the next two batters and her wild pitch scored two more MSU players, cutting the lead to 7-4. That forced Van Fleet from the game and Kelly Birk came back to the mound. After a groundout scored Morehead's fifth run of the inning, CF Toni Orr doubled to center and looked like she would score, expect a relay from Rampi to Piantino to Jamie Birk behind the plate nailed Hernandez and ended the game. Both Hernandez and Jamie Birk were injured on the play and would not play in game two.

Birk (6-7) was the winning pitcher, going 6 1/3 innings, allowing only six hits, no runs and striking out five for the second consecutive game without walking anyone.

Molly Cope (6-17) was the loser, allowing six runs and 11 hits in five innings of work.

Both Eklund and Nett were 2-4 with two RBI's in game one.

In game two, Morehead State jumped out quickly scoring two in the bottom of the first when 1B Natalee Owens singled home two runs. It could have been worse for the Otahkians, but starter Kristen King struck out 2B Jessie Chin with the bases loaded to end the inning.

But Southeast would not trail for long. After Eklund lined out to start the third inning, LF Katie Cerneka and Hamlin singled back-to-back to start the Otahk threat. On DP Kelly Birk's groundout, MSU's Chin made a throwing error that allowed everyone to reach base safely and scored Cerneka all the way from second base. Then Roherty, at third base in game two, laced her first double of the season, scoring pinch runner Stacy DeClue and Birk and putting Southeast up by a 3-2 margin.

An inning later, Southeast added its fourth run thanks to two MSU errors. Piantino reached on an error, stole second base and scored when Morehead SS Michelle McGrady committed her second error of the inning on a Cerneka ground ball.

Following an inning and a half of scoreless softball, MSU added its third run in the fifth inning. Orr singled to center and came home to score on a fielding error by Eklund in rightfield, cutting the Southeast lead to 4-3.

The score remained 4-3 until the seventh when Southeast added five insurance runs to break the game wide open. The inning opened with consecutive singles by Roherty, Nett, Cobin and Piantino with Cobin's hit scoring Roherty and pushing the lead to 5-3. But the big blow came with two outs when Hamlin went yard for the second time on the day, this time a grand slam to centerfield that pushed the Otahk advantage to 9-3.

King (2-9) went the distance in picking up her second victory of the season. She allowed six hits and three runs, only one of which was earned, while striking out three.

Jacque Jackson (2-6) took the loss, allowing 10 hits and nine runs in seven innings of work.

Cobin finished the day 4-8 with a RBI and a run scored. Roherty finished the day 2-6 with two runs, two RBI's and a double.

The wins accompanied by an Eastern Kentucky sweep of Eastern Illinois vaulted Southeast into fourth place in the OVC standings all by themselves with two conference games remaining. The Otahkians currently have three more OVC wins than do EIU and Austin Peay (six apeice). If Southeast wins its remaining two OVC games (at Morehead and versus UT-Martin) they will finish no worse than a tie for fourth place if EIU wins out and have a chance to finish in third if UT-Martin loses out.

Southeast has now won seven straight games against Morehead State and 34 of 37 in the series.

The two teams complete their three game series at Noon on Sunday.