Doubleheader sweep gives Southeast Missouri State softball 1,000th win

Wherever Southeast Missouri State softball coach Mark Redburn is during a game, whether it's standing at the edge of the dugout while his team's in the field or in the third-base coach's box while his players are up to bat, the words almost continuously flow from his mouth.

A frequent phrase that comes out is, "Trust it. Trust the process." That's exactly what the Redhawks did on Saturday as they swept Tennessee State 7-2, 9-0 in a doubleheader at the Southeast Softball Complex.

The sweep gave the program 1,000 all-time victories.

"We came out -- I don't like using the word cocky, but just confident that we knew we were the better team than them," Southeast first baseman Savannah Carpenter said. "We were just focusing on sticking to our own plan that we can hit the ball great, we can make good plays and it'll come out good, and that's exactly what we did."

Redburn, whose squad split with Belmont on Friday, wasn't sure how his pitchers would hold up in their second starts of the weekend, but was pleased with the defense's performance behind them as they committed just one error in Game 2 and allowed 10 hits combined.

"We're still young, we're still inexperienced and we're still going to have those ups and downs and those days where maybe the hitting was there but the defense wasn't or the pitching and the defense was there but the hitting wasn't, so we're trying to still get that consistency," Redburn said. "It's coming along, it really is. It's coming along and I think our kids are seeing it and feeling it and understanding it. And we're getting in there with [pitchers] Maddie [Krumrey] and Haley [Thogmartin] now and that's a big, big part, too. I think now the defense can relax a little bit because they don't feel like they've got to necessarily make every play or get to every ball -- obviously we want them to."

Freshman Haley Thogmartin got the win in the circle in Game 1 to improve to 6-6 on the season. She allowed two earned runs on four hits with two walks and a strikeout in five innings.

The Redhawks held a 1-0 lead after one inning and before TSU scored its only runs of the day in the second and third innings.

The Tigers' first run came after back-to-back one-out doubles and they went up 2-1 in the top of the third after the first two batters reached on bunts and then a sacrifice bunt drove in the go-ahead run.

Carpenter knotted it at 2-2 in the home half of the inning with a two-out home run to left center, her third of the season.

Southeast took the lead for good in the fourth with a pair of runs on a fielder's choice and a sacrifice fly to go up 4-2.

The Redhawks added three more in the sixth.

Mackenzie Hoelting issued just one walk in a scoreless final two innings for her first save.

Sophomore Maddie Krumrey improved to 5-4 in Game 2. She allowed four hits in four scoreless innings with two walks and four strikeouts.

TSU stranded six runners, including two in scoring position in the first inning of the second game. The Tigers' leadoff hitter, Courtney Gearlds, reached on an error, was bunted to second and moved to third on a bunt single by Joselynn Yates, who then stole second.

Krumrey made a diving catch near the first-base line for the second out and a groundout stranded both.

"The defense was awesome because we were kind of struggling with that, especially the infield, me being a part of that, too," Carpenter said. "We were definitely struggling with a few errors and just some confidence issues then coming out here and turning a few doubles and just staying solid and not freaking out when runners were on base, it was really good. Definitely a huge improvement, and I think that's really going to take us to the next level."

Claire Wernig led off the home half of the first with a single to right, was bunted to second and reached third on a double to left by Danielle Turner. A groundout by Carpenter, who went 3-for-6 with five RBIs in the two games, plated Wernig.

Turner scored on a base hit by designated hitter Brittany Stevens, who advanced to second on the throw home, and Pruett plated Stevens with a single up the middle to give the Redhawks a 3-0 lead after one.

They added four more in the second. Sarah Messex scored when the first baseman dropped the ball, allowing Harli Wheeler to reach. Carpenter singled to right to score Wheeler and Wernig, who'd reached on a fielder's choice, and scored on a double to left center by Stevens.

"I think we really focused on hitting that outside pitch in warm ups and I think it really worked for us," said Stevens, who went 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs in Game 2. "I think we all were squaring the ball up really well today."

Southeast scored its final two runs in the third. Riley Hayes singled to start the frame and eventually scored when Wernig reached on a fielder's choice. Wheeler doubled to drive in Wernig for the final run.

The Redhawks finished with 10 hits in the second game, which was finished in five innings due to the mercy rule, and nine in Game 1.

"A lot of teams would try to work hitters away and for us that's been one of our troubling areas, and so the biggest thing is still just trying to accept letting the ball travel and letting ourselves go to the right side," Redburn said. "A single is a single, and I think they're starting to believe in that and they feel that a little bit, but then also now when teams are like, 'Oh ok, they can hit it to the right side, we're going to come in on them,' now all of a sudden hitters are like, 'Oh, that's what we want anyway, so let's turn on one."

TSU dropped to 7-25 and 0-7 in the Ohio Valley Conference with its 10th consecutive loss.

The Redhawks, who host SIU Edwardsville for a three-game series next Saturday and Sunday, improved to 11-14 and 5-2 in conference.

"Experience what you're feeling right now and how winning is fun," Redburn said of his postgame message. "The biggest thing is that all the hard work and the time and the effort and the trials that we go through, when you commit to working through those and you get to this point, then that's what it's all about. Â… You're starting to see that spark there a little bit and we just hope that carries over and that they understand that and trust that and this will be something that drives them and motivates them, so in the future they'll be -- not that they've been happy with losses or anything -- but they're going to understand why a loss hurts and if we get a win then we're happy and fun and all that stuff."

GAME 1

TSU 011 000 0 -- 2 4 2

SEMO 101 203 x -- 7 9 0

WP -- Haley Thogmartin (6-6). LP -- Lauren Woodard (2-15). 2B -- Lauren Dreitlein (T), Woodard (T), Darby Pruett (S). 3B -- Pruett (S). HR -- Savannah Carpenter (S). Multiple hits -- SEMO: Claire Wernig 2-3, Harli Wheeler 2-4, Carpenter 2-4, Pruett 2-3.

GAME 2

TSU 000 00 -- 0 6 2

SEMO 342 0X -- 9 10 1

WP -- Maddie Krumrey (5-4). LP -- Lauren Powell (3-6). 2B -- Wheeler (S), Brittany Stevens (S). Multiple hits -- TSU: Danica Gleason 2-2, Dreitlein 2-2. SEMO: Stevens 2-3.