OTAHKS CAPTURE TITLE OF SIU INV.

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Under the leadership of assistant coach Buddy Foster, the Southeast Missouri State University softball team claimed the Southern Illinois Saluki Invitational with two victories Saturday.

With head coach Lana Richmond tending to a family crisis, Foster coaxed the Otahkians to a 3-2 victory over tourney host Carbondale and a 2-0 win over Tennessee-Martin. Southeast completed the round-robin tournament with a 4-0 record and improved to 17-5 overall.

I was a little nervous, but I challenged the seniors to step up and they came through," Foster said.

In the win over SIU, Southeast scored a run in the first inning and two more in the fourth to hold a 3-0 lead entering the final inning. Carbondale touched starter Christine Engelhardt for two runs in the seventh inning, but she recovered to complete the victory. Engelhardt (6-2) struck out eight and allowed six hits.

Chris Shetley went 3-for-4 and Michelle Frank 2-for-3 as the Otahkians ripped nine hits. Ricki DeArmon drove in the eventual winning runs with a two-run single in the fourth.

Debbie Schmelz (9-3) hurled all seven innings in the 2-0 victory over UT-Martin. Schmelz did not strike out a batter, but only allowed four hits and a walk.

DeArmon scored on Erin Frazier's sacrifice fly in the sixth inning and Alicia Liley scored on an RBI-single by Kim Palmer in the seventh.

Southeast opens its Ohio Valley Conference slate Wednesday with a doubleheader at Austin Peay.