Redhawks romp to sweep of Tigers

~ Southeast completed a three-win weekend with a 15-2 victory over Tennessee State.

Southeast Missouri State's normally explosive offense was held down by Tennessee State Saturday, although the Redhawks still swept an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader with two narrow victories.

Once the Redhawks' bats came alive Sunday, the Tigers had virtually no chance as Southeast completed the series sweep with a 15-2 romp.

The game at the Southeast Softball Complex was stopped after the top of the fifth inning by the eight-run mercy rule.

Southeast improved to 24-10 overall and 11-1 in OVC play. The Redhawks, who have won 20 of their last 23 games, are in second place among 10 OVC squads. TSU fell to 14-23 and 1-12.

"Our bats broke lose today," Southeast coach Lana Richmond said.

Southeast, the OVC's top-hitting team with a .307 average, had just 12 hits in Saturday's doubleheader, including only three off TSU pitcher Candace Hildebrand in the 1-0 nightcap.

Facing Hildebrand again Sunday, the Redhawks knocked her out of the game during an 11-run second inning. Southeast had 12 hits total.

"We were more patient on pitch selection," Richmond said.

Michelle Summers, Southeast's slugging sophomore third baseman, wasted no time in getting the Redhawks' offense rolling.

Summers, the Redhawks' leadoff batter, crushed a home run over the left-field fence to start the bottom of the first inning.

It was Summers' 10th home run of the season and 20th in a Southeast uniform, which ties the program's career record set by Kim Palmer from 1996 to 1998.

Summers, who had 10 homers during an all-OVC freshman season last year, is also closing in on Palmer's single-season school mark of 11 home runs.

"She's a little power plug," Richmond said. "She hits hard and plays hard."

Said Summers, who only stands about 5 feet tall, of her record blast: "It is pretty exciting. I hope I can keep doing it."

The California native said she hit only one home run during her high school career, so her power surge since coming to Southeast has been a pleasant surprise.

"It just came out of nowhere," she said with a smile.

Summers added her team-high 11th double of the season, drove in three runs and raised her team-leading batting average to .382. She is also first on the squad with 31 RBIs.

And Summer had plenty of company Sunday, as has been the case most of the season.

Freshman Lauren Bradley's grand slam highlighted the Redhawks' 11-run second inning that put them ahead 13-0. She had two hits and five RBIs.

Senior Stephanie Huffman had three hits, sophomore Megan McDonald had three RBIs and freshman Jenn Monaghan added two RBIs.

"It's hard to keep us down," Summers said of a lineup that boasts six players hitting above .300, including Huffman at .365, Bradley at .359, McDonald at .357, junior Lindsay Pickering at .348 and Monaghan at .308.

Huffman closed out a big weekend on the mound. After recording a save in Saturday's 6-4 opener, then pitching her first shutout of the season in the 1-0 nightcap, she flirted with a perfect game Sunday.

Huffman (13-3) retired all 12 batters she faced entering the fifth inning, but Leena Worrell led off with a clean single to left. TSU did not have another hit but scored two unearned runs to break the shutout.