May 4, 2002

Box Score

RICHMOND, Ky. - A pitcher's duel between Southeast's Kelly Birk and the UT-Martin's Kendra Kosco sent the OVC Tournament game into extra innings, before the Skyhawks were able to score three runs in the top of the eighth inning and pull out the 4-1 victory, defeat Southeast for the first time in OVC Tournament action and end the Otahkians season.

Southeast Missouri (14-27) had the first opportunity to score in the bottom of the second inning. RF Courtney Eklund, an All-OVC second-team selection, drew a leadoff walk and was pinch ran for by Michelle Lunsford. Lunsford promptly stole second base and was advanced to third by a sacrifice bunt by 1B Reagan Hamlin, an All-OVC honorable mention honoree. But Lunsford was stranded at third after Tennessee-Martin (25-32) starter Kendra Kosco got a groundout and flyout to end the inning.

Each team got a single in the third inning but neither were able to put any runs across the plate. UT-Martin got its first great scoring chance in the top of the fifth when CF Angela Baize led off the inning getting hit by a pitch. After being sacrificed to second, C Sarah Daws hitting a blooping single over the head of SS Dawn Piantino to put runners on first and third with only one out. But Otahkian starter Kelly Birk got both a groundout and lineout to All-OVC second-team selection 2B Brooke Nett to end the inning and keep the game scoreless.

After UTM failed to score in the top of the inning, Southeast took advantage of that and scored its lone run in the bottom of the frame. LF Katie Cerneka started the inning with a hard liner through the leftside and was pinch ran for by senior Shelley Conroy. Conroy reached second on a sacrifice bunt by CF Kemi Rampi with one out. After a strikeout, Piantino came to the plate and laced her 10th double of the season down the leftfield line scoring Conroy and putting Southeast up 1-0. The hit was especially sweet for the senior, who had previously been 1-9 with five strikeouts against Kosco on the season.

But UTM was not done and rallied in the top of the seventh for a run to tie the game at one. After Birk quickly retired the first two batters of the inning, LF Lindsay Moffitt singled up the middle. Next, Daws recorded her third hit of the game, a double off the rightfield wall that scored Moffitt and tied the game.

The game went into extra innings and due to the limited playing time the morning rain caused, international tiebreaker rules went into effect. Thus, the last runner to make an out in the previous inning is placed on second base to start the new inning.

Stephanie Paris started the eighth at second and was driven home when RF Meredith Ramsey doubled off the rightfield wall to put the Skyhawks on top for the first time in the game. DP Amy Harclerode the hit a sacrifice fly to leftfield to score the second run of the inning and a single by Moffitt pushed the UTM advantage to 4-1.

Birk (7-12) took the loss. She went eight innings, allowing eight hits and four runs, three of which were earned. She did strike out five batters, which tied her career-high set twice previously.

Kosco (16-9), who has pitched 17 consecutive innings in the tournament, was the winner after finally getting run support from her team. She went the distance allowing seven hits and one run while striking out seven Otahkian batters. Her team had only scored two total runs for her in regulation play in the two tournament games.

Southeast lost for only the second time this season when leading after six innings. The Otahkians finished the season 14-2 when leading after six.

The season marked the first losing record for Southeast Missouri in the 20-year career of head coach Lana Richmond. It is only the second losing season in the program?s history, the other being in 1982 (21-28).

Game Notes: The game was originally schedule for a 10:00 a.m. start but pushed back to 12:00 p.m. following overnight rains that cancelled play on field two and morning rain showers ... Senior 1B Reagan Hamlin started her 91st consecutive game; she is the only Otahkian to start and play in every game over the past two seasons ... the game was the last for seven Southeast seniors: Jennifer Cobin, Shelley Conroy, Courtney Eklund, Reagan Hamlin, Emmy Kisaka, Kristen King and Dawn Piantino; the members of the class that have been at SEMO for four seasons (Eklund, Kisaka and Piantino) won 101 games in their tenure ... Southeast fell to 26-11 in OVC Tournament play in 10 seasons; the loss was the first to UT-Martin in OVC Tournament action, and Southeast is now 3-1 against the Skyhawks in the event ... the Otahkians fell to 0-2 in extra inning games this season; they also fell to Tennessee State in extra frames on March 29.