The UTM softball team dropped its final two home games played at Bettye Giles Field of the season to Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) leader Southeast Missouri on Wednesday afternoon, coming up short in the front end of the doubleheader 3-1 before falling 8-0 in the series finale.
The Skyhawks (25-18, 14-14 OVC) were limited to just one run on the afternoon against one of the hottest teams in the league. Shyanne Sheffield led the team offensively with four of the team’s eight hits on the day – including a solo blast for her third home run of the season – to score the Skyhawks lone run of the day. The quartet of Kallie Pickens, Bryleigh Carneal, Aalia Bivens and Paige Clark also tallied base hits.
Four different pitchers saw action in the circle for the Skyhawks. Erin Gallagher (5-6) started Game 1 where she pitched a complete game, struck out six and allowed two earned runs. In Game 2, Alexis Groet (12-6) lasted just four innings and was touched up early, allowing four earned runs while striking out three. Hannah Ridolfi appeared in relief where she allowed four earned runs in 1.2 innings of action while Seeley Layne pitched a third of an inning.
Game 1: Southeast Missouri 3, UTM 1
Southeast Missouri wasted very little time getting on the board in the opener, scoring a run in the top of the first inning after a pair of outs to start the frame. Rachel Anderson started the two-out rally with a bunt single before swiping second base to move into scoring position. She then came around to score on the next play on a single up the middle by Katie Dreiling to take an early advantage.
The Redhawks added another run in the top of the second inning when Kaylee Anderson launched a solo blast over the left field scoreboard to push the margin out to 2-0.
The score would remain the same until the top of the fifth when SEMO added its third and final run of the contest on a triple off the left field wall by Rachel Anderson to score Kynzie Wrigley.
UTM finally got on the board with its lone run of the day with a big blast in the bottom of the sixth. With her second hit of the game, Sheffield turned on a 3-1 pitch and blasted her third home run of the season over the left field scoreboard for a solo shot to cut the deficit to two runs.
Game 2: Southeast Missouri 8, UTM 0 (6 innings)
Like the quick start in the first game of the doubleheader, Southeast Missouri opened the game with an early lead. The Redhawks tallied two singles and a walk by the first three batters in the order before Ashley Ellis belted her 17th home run of the season to center field for a grand slam to give the visitors a four-run lead right out of the gates.
After the big first inning, the powerful Redhawk bats were held in check over the next three innings until they broke free once again in the top of the fifth. Two walks and a hit batter spelled trouble for the Skyhawks before a fielder’s choice off the bat of Ellis resulted in two runners crossing the plate later in the inning to make it 6-0.
Then in the top of the sixth, Southeast Missouri tallied three more hits – including a two-run double by Wrigley to score pinch hitters Abigail Rickermann and Kelby Robinson to put the Redhawks up 8-0 in the sixth.
With the Skyhawks facing an eight-run deficit in the sixth inning and having just three outs to play with to avoid an early ending, the home squad found a pair of leadoff singles by Clark and Sheffield to hopefully spark a rally. The Skyhawks would ultimately load the bases with no outs but could not find the magical touch as a double play on a potential sacrifice fly chance took a swing at the team’s momentum before ending on the ensuing at bat.
UTM will close out the season with a three-game road series against Tennessee Tech beginning on Friday, May 7 at 5 p.m. The two teams will then wrap up their respective campaigns on Saturday, May 8 with a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.
