Redhawks remain alive after opening-day split

~ Southeast defeated Tennessee-Martin but then lost to top-seeded Tennessee Tech.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Southeast Missouri State split a pair of games Thursday to fall into the loser's bracket of the Ohio Valley Conference softball tournament.

Fifth-seeded Southeast opened the tournament with a 3-0 win over fourth-seeded Tennessee-Martin, but top-seeded Tennessee Tech then routed the Redhawks 8-0 in a six-inning, run-rule affair.

The Redhawks will try to remain alive in the six-team event today when they face sixth-seeded Eastern Kentucky in a 11 a.m. elimination game. The winner will play again at 3:30 p.m. today. The finals are set for Saturday.

Southeast (28-23) got off to a good start Thursday against Tennessee-Martin (35-25-1), as Elaine Fisher fired her sixth shutout of the season. Fisher allowed just three hits.

The Redhawks grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Michelle Summers reached on an error, Charlene Ramirez walked and Jenn Monaghan delivered a one-out RBI single.

Southeast made it 3-0 in the third, getting a leadoff home run from Megan McDonald, her sixth of the season. Stephanie Huffman added an RBI double.

The Redhawks were then no match for host Tennessee Tech (48-13), which went 24-2 in OVC play to roll to the regular-season championship.

OVC pitcher of the year Bonnie Bynum (29-8), who entered the tournament with an 0.99 earned-run average, allowed just one hit, a second-inning single by Lindsay Pickering. Bynum, who retired the final 14 batters, struck out four and walked none.

The Eaglettes scored single runs in four of the first five innings, then notched four runs in the bottom of the sixth to end the contest early.

Fisher (13-16) took the loss, allowing two runs and four hits in 2 2/3 innings. Huffman was touched for six runs (five earned) and four hits in three innings.