May 9, 2003

Box Score

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Southeast softball team today staged a comeback to remain alive in the 2003 Ohio Valley Conference Softball Tournament at Tennessee Tech, edging UT Martin 4-3 in nine innings.

Catcher Lyndsey Webb slapped a bases loaded single to right in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Otahkians to the victory and eliminate UT Martin from the tournament.

The Otahkians got singles from Kate Groden and Kelly Birk, and an intentional walk to Alana Bagby-Leonard to set the stage for Webb's game-winning hit.

SEMO fell behind 3-0 in the third inning on a three-run home run by Kristen Runyan, but the Otahkians stormed back with three runs in the fifth to tie the contest.

Southeast Missouri rattled off six consecutive hits to tie the game with three runs in the fifth, with most of the damage coming on a bases loaded, two-run double by Alana Bagby-Leonard. Kelly Birk's single had driven in the first run.

The Skyhawks put runners on the corners with nobody out in the seventh but couldn't push across a lead run. SEMO reliever Melissa Van Velkinburgh got two grounders and a popup to escape the jam.

Southeast Missouri stays alive in the double elimination tournament, and plays Friday at 1:30 p.m. against the Austin Peay-Eastern Illinois winner. UT Martin ends the season with a 21-28 mark.

Jessica Hunter pitched the first four innings for SEMO. She walked one, struck out one and gave up four hits and three unearned runs. Rachel VanFleet threw two scoreless innings, and VanVelkinburgh picked up the win, allowing just one hit over the final three innings.

Kosco got into trouble only once prior to the three-run outburst in the fifth inning. The Otahkians loaded the bases on a single and two walks in the first inning before Kosco got out of the jam with a fly ball. Kosco pitched 8 1/3 innings, gave up 14 hits, walked four and struck out three.

After yielding to reliever Allison Buckley for the final out in the eighth, Kosco returned to pitch in the ninth. Buckley gave up a leadoff single to Kate Groden and when Groden came around to score the winning run on Webb's single, Buckley picked up the loss.