SEMO softball drops weekend series to EIU

SEMO's Aubrie Shore waits on the ball during a March 9. game between the Redhawks and EIU.

Photo Courtesy of Carrie Trovillion - Freelance Photographer

The SEMO softball went 1-2 over the weekend in the first Ohio Valley Conference series of the season with Eastern Illinois. The Redhawks split a doubleheader with the Panthers on Saturday, losing 7-4 in a 12-inning marathon of a game and winning 9-4 in the following game. On Sunday, SEMO dropped a defensive battle 2-1.

Redhawks head coach Mark Redbrun said there were some things his team could have executed better, but he also gave EIU kudos.

“I tip my cap to EIU, I felt like they swung it really well. I felt like their pitcher came in and showed she's the real deal. Against a pitcher like that, you're gonna get some opportunities and you got to capitalize on them. I felt like yesterday we had several innings there where we had a chance, but we didn't execute,” Redburn said. “Today was a better defensive day, but we just didn't hit it quite the way we wanted to. I thought there were a couple of little balls there that we could have caught a break on. A couple of tough breaks but we just need to swing it better.”

SEMO's Brittany Affolter takes some practice swings during a March 9. game between the Redhawks and EIU.

In the opening game of the series, the Redhawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first off the bats of Aubrie Shore and Gracie Luna. Once the ballgame was tied in the fourth, neither team could break through, and the game headed into extra innings 3-3. Five innings passed scoreless before EIU broke through in the twelfth and extended to a 7-3 lead before their eventual victory.

Shore said while this was not the result they wanted, they can’t dwell on it.

“We have practice tomorrow and I think it's primarily going to be BP and that type of thing. Just getting our swings off, hitting the ball solidly,” Shore said. “I think it's mostly just using this like you just have to sit there and be like, ‘Right, that just happened.’ You gotta use this for the next one and just always have to bounce back.”

SEMO's Sophie Schupp waits to run to second during a March 9. game between the Redhawks and EIU.

Game two was all Redhawks as multiple extra-base hits gave SEMO an insurmountable lead after going down 2-0 early. Sophomore Brittany Affolter and freshman Sophie Schupp led the way for the Redhawks with three RBIs each. Redburn said he was happy with the play of his underclassmen both batting in the case of Affolter and Schupp, along with freshman Brooklyn Saysoff, but also the relief pitching of freshman Maddie Carney.

“A couple of freshmen, Brooklyn Saysoff, I put her at the top of the order. She's taking some walks she gets some hits, she’s getting on base, and Sophie as well,” Redburn said. “So again, a couple of young players in some key spots, third base and shortstop. That's a lot on them, I also thought Maddie Careny pitched well, both yesterday and today.”

Sunday’s final game of the series was a low-scoring, defensive battle, coming down to the final half-inning. EIU put up a run in the second and fifth innings for a 2-0 lead until the sixth, in the sixth a Kat Sackett solo shot brought the Redhawks to within a run. Unfortunately for SEMO, this is as close as they got as the seventh-inning rally fell short. Sackett said she knew a fastball was coming and she hunted for it.

SEMO's Maddie Carney takes her warm-up pitches during a March 9. game between the Redhawks and EIU.

The Redhawks will be back in action for a midweek doubleheader at home with Bradley on Tuesday at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.