April 22, 2007

Box Score

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Three Southeast Missouri State softball players each recorded three hits and two RBI this afternoon to lead the visiting Redhawks to a 6-5 win over host Tennessee-Martin to close a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series at Bettye Giles Field. Southeast improved its season record to 15-25 (7-13), while the Skyhawks fell to 24-27 (10-9) on the year.

A single from freshman first baseman Stacia Dopudja (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) to left field scored junior third baseman Michelle Summers (Glendale, Calif./Hoover), who led off the game with a triple, to give the visitors an early 1-0 lead after the first inning.

Southeast increased its leading margin to 3-0 in the second inning after Summers produced a two-run double to right field, scoring freshman catcher Alex Ramirez (Corona, Calif./El Modena) and senior center fielder Lindsay Pickering (St. Charles, Mo./St. Charles West HS) in the process. Dopudja struck again in the third inning as she blasted a solo home run to left center off Tennessee-Martin starting pitcher Kara Harper as the Redhawks claimed a 4-0 advantage.

The Skyhawks came back in the fourth inning with a pair of runs on a homer from freshman Megan VanArsdale that sliced their deficit at 4-2, but Southeast bounced back in the fifth inning as Pickering hit a solo homer to left center to increase the lead back to three at 5-2. Tennessee-Martin closed the Redhawks' lead to 5-3 in the sixth inning as senior Fallon Lowery opened the inning with a double down the left field line and later scored on a wild pitch.

Pickering doubled home Dopudja from second in the top of the seventh that put the visitors ahead by a score of 6-3. The Skyhawks closed within a run (6-5) in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a two-run double from freshman Ashley Benbow with one out, but Southeast starting pitcher Elaine Fisher (St. Peters, Mo./Francis Howell North) forced a strikeout and a flyout to right field that ended the game.

Dopudja, Pickering and Summers each went 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBI to lead the Redhawks' 14-hit offense. Fisher (11-17) earned her second complete-game win of the weekend despite allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits to go along with four strikeouts.

Lowery led Tennessee-Martin's offense by going 2-for-4 at the plate with a run scored, while Harper (8-8) took the loss after allowing four runs on six hits in two and one-third innings pitched on the day.

The Redhawks are back in action Tuesday afternoon as they host Memphis in their final non-conference doubleheader of the season with the first game starting at 3 p.m.