Redhawks stay alive in OVC tournament

Southeast won two elimination games on Friday.

Southeast Missourian

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. -- Thanks to a pair of elimination-game victories Friday, Southeast Missouri State's softball team is still alive and kicking in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament.

The fifth-seeded Redhawks beat third-seeded Samford 6-5 in 11 innings, then defeated fourth-seeded Tennessee-Martin 4-1 to avenge Thursday's 3-2, first-round loss at the hands of the Skyhawks.

Southeast (27-26) will play top-seeded and host Jacksonville State (41-15) at 10 a.m. today in the loser's bracket final. The winner meets second-seeded Tennessee Tech (34-26) in the 12:15 p.m. championship round and would have to beat the Eaglettes twice in order to capture the double-elimination event.

Southeast's first contest Friday against Samford (27-26) wound up being the longest recorded game in OVC tournament history.

Despite being out-hit 17-9, and trailing 3-0 after one-half inning and 5-3 entering their final chance in the bottom of the seventh, the Redhawks were able to rally and stay alive.

After tying the contest with two runs in the seventh, Southeast won it in the 11th. Stephanie Mata was hit by a pitch to start the inning and later scored on Kelly Birk's single.

Freshman Michelle Summers' 10th home run of the season with one out in the seventh brought Southeast within 5-4. Birk doubled and, with two outs, scored the tying run on an error, one of five errors in the game by the Bulldogs. Southeast scored just two earned runs.

Birk went 3-for-5, including her sixth homer of the season. She also drove in two runs and scored twice. Lindsay Pickering added two hits.

Freshman Elaine Fisher (8-5) was the winning pitcher with three shutout innings in relief of starter Amy Fahnestock. Fisher allowed three hits. Fahnestock gave up 14 hits and five runs (three earned).

The Redhawks then got a complete-game pitching performance from Stephanie Huffman -- who had not seen much mound action in recent weeks -- to eliminate Tennessee-Martin (33-22).

Huffman (4-6) allowed eight hits in seven innings, with two strikeouts and one walk.

Southeast also had eight hits, again led by Birk. The senior went 3-for-3 and drove in a run. Pickering added two more hits and Summers scored twice.

The Redhawks, who never trailed the Skyhawks, broke a 1-1 tie with a sixth-inning run. They added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh.