Dopudja breaks school record for homers in a season

After being no-hit in the opener, Southeast Missouri State bounced back to salvage a doubleheader split with the Ohio Valley Conference's best softball team Saturday.

Tennessee Tech clinched its second straight OVC regular-season title by beating the host Redhawks 7-0.

Southeast then claimed a 9-5 triumph. The squads will conclude their three-game series at 1 p.m. today.

Tech is 42-15 overall and 18-4 in OVC play while Southeast is 17-27 and 8-14.

The Redhawks moved up to eighth place in the 10-team league, but are still 2 1/2 games out of sixth place.

Only the top six finishers qualify for the OVC tournament. Southeast has five conferences games remaining.

Tech senior Bonnie Bynum, the 2006 OVC pitcher of the year, fired her second no-hitter of the season and sixth of her career during Saturday's opener. She struck out five and walked two.

Southeast starter Elaine Fisher also had a shutout through five innings, but the Eaglettes broke loose for two runs in the sixth and five more in the seventh. Fisher allowed 11 hits.

The second game was highlighted by another home run from Southeast freshman Stacia Dopudja.

Dopudja has 12 homers, which breaks the school single-season record.

Dopudja also leads the Redhawks in doubles (11), runs batted in (38) and batting average (.336).

Also hitting a home run for the Redhawks in Saturday's nightcap was senior Lindsay Pickering, who went 3-for-3.

Dopudja added two hits while senior Stephanie Mata delivered three RBIs.

Fisher got the win with two innings of relief as she allowed just an unearned run. Dopudja hurled 4 2/3 solid innings, giving up one run.

Pickering and Mata, Southeast's only two seniors, will be honored in a Senior Day ceremony prior to today's series finale.