Redhawks drop home match

The Southeast Missouri State women's tennis team closed out the regular season Saturday with a 4-3 home loss to Eastern Kentucky.

But the Redhawks are not done playing this year as they had already accomplished one of their primary goals by qualifying for the Ohio Valley Conference tournament.

Southeast finished its schedule with an 11-13 overall record and a 5-5 OVC mark.

The Redhawks wound up sixth in the 11-team OVC. The top six finishers compete in the conference tournament in Nashville, Tenn., beginning Friday.

"Making the [conference] tournament is a pretty big deal for us," first-year Southeast coach Mark Elliott said. "It's a nice accomplishment for the girls."

Eastern Kentucky (12-12, 6-4) finished fifth in the OVC by slipping past the Redhawks.

The Colonels won two of three doubles matches to take the doubles point, which proved decisive as the squads split the six singles matches.

Southeast got singles victories from Bryce Kristal at No. 1, Elise Nattier at No. 5 and Kimmy Anderson at No. 6. Anderson did not lose a game.

Kristal improved to 17-6 overall and 8-2 in OVC play. Both marks lead Southeast.

Nattier (7-3) and Anderson (6-4) have the Redhawks' next-best conference records.

Anderson, a senior from Jackson High School, closed out her home career with a pair of wins as she teamed with fellow senior Luz Garcia to prevail at No. 3 doubles.

Anderson and Garcia are the Redhawks' only seniors.

Eastern Kentucky 4, Southeast 3

Singles

No. 1 -- Bryce Kristal (SE) def. Svetlana Pimenova 4-6, 6-3, 6-3; No. 2 -- Alexandra Sitnikova (EK) def. Drew Kristal 6-3, 6-2; No. 3 -- Lucia Vojtkova (EK) def. Luz Garcia 6-1, 6-1; No. 4 -- Jemma Euers (EK) def. Julia Masotti 6-2, 6-1; No. 5 -- Elise Nattier (SE) def. Casie Phillips 6-2, 6-3; No. 6 -- Kimmy Anderson (SE) def. Page Ashby 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles

No. 1 -- Pimenova-Sitnikova (EK) def. Kristal-Kristal 8-1; No. 2 -- Vojtkova-Euers (EK) def. Masotti-Nattier 8-3; No. 3 -- Garcia-Anderson (SE) def. Phillips-Ashby 6-4

Softball routed at home

The Southeast softball team continued to struggle Saturday as visiting Austin Peay hammered the Redhawks 9-0 in a game stopped after six innings by the eight-run mercy rule.

The squads were scheduled to play a doubleheader, but because of rain early in the day, they played only one contest.

There will be a doubleheader today beginning at 1 p.m., instead of the regularly-scheduled single game.

The Redhawks (10-23, 4-11) have lost six straight and nine of 10. They entered the day tied for last place in the 10-team OVC.

Austin Peay (17-20, 6-9), which came into the contest tied for seventh in the OVC, broke a nine-game losing streak.

The Redhawks had just one hit -- a double by Alex Ramirez -- against Austin Peay pitcher Natasha Anderson, who struck out 14 and walked two.

Austin Peay had 13 hits, including a home run from Ashley Taylor, who drove in five runs.

Elaine Fisher took the loss.

Also, Southeast signed a pitcher this week as the spring signing period began.

Competing for the Redhawks next season will be Whitney Dupuis, a high school senior from Sulphur, La. She is 18-4 with an 0.92 ERA, 12 shutouts and two perfect games so far this year. Dupuis is hitting .378.

Southeast had previously landed two players during the fall signing period.

-- From staff reports