Mother Nature assists Redhawks

~ Heavy rain preserved a 7-5 win and a weekend sweep for Southeast softball.

A big first inning and Mother Nature helped the Southeast Missouri State softball team complete a crucial Ohio Valley Conference series sweep.

The host Redhawks scored seven runs in the bottom of the first inning to overcome the single tally Austin Peay put up in the top of the frame.

Austin Peay rallied to 7-5 through 4 1/2 innings when the weather turned sour.

After a rain delay of about 2 1/2 hours, Sunday's game was called. It was an official contest, pushing Southeast's winning streak to six.

Southeast's Tiffany Blanco singles during the third inning.

Southeast (18-19, 7-8), which swept Saturday's doubleheader, moved into a tie for sixth place in the nine-team OVC. The top six finishers qualify for the conference tournament.

"It was a huge series for us," Southeast coach Lana Richmond said. "Any time you can win three. ... it's so hard to beat a team three times. It's what we needed to stay in the conference race."

Freshman Giana Zimmerman recorded her second pitching victory of the series, although she was not nearly as sharp as she had been in firing a three-hitter during Saturday's 4-1 first-game win.

Zimmerman (11-8) allowed four hits and four earned runs while striking out seven and walking five.

"She pitched really well the first game yesterday," Richmond said. "She struggled today with her zone, but at least her offense gave her seven runs.

"We live and die by her."

The Redhawks had only five hits, with four coming in the big first inning that also featured two walks and two errors. Only two of the runs were earned.

Freshman Tiffany Blanco had a two-run triple, while junior Jennifer Vasquez delivered a two-run single. Sophomore Carmen Fowler and junior Alex Ramirez each added RBI doubles.

"We got off to a good start, but I was displeased because the first three innings we had a chance to put the game away," Richmond said. "We could never get the key hit to break the game wide open."

Last-place Austin Peay (12-32, 2-14) scored twice in both the fourth and fifth innings to make things interesting.

Zimmerman forced the Govs to strand the bases loaded in the fifth inning to preserve Southeast's 7-5 lead. Heavy rain began to fall seconds after the frame's final out and play never resumed.

Southeast, which has nine OVC games left, visits Eastern Illinois Thursday for a conference doubleheader.