SEMO SORTBALL OPENS HOME SCHEDULE BY SWEEPING PAIR

The Southeast Missouri State University softball team used efficient pitching and timely hitting Wednesday afternoon at Parker Field, opening its conference and home schedule with a doubleheader sweep of Tennessee-Martin.

Southeast blanked the Lady Skyhawks in the opening contest 4-0 behind the arm of sophomore pitcher Christine Engelhardt. In the second game, leadoff batter Chris Shetley lined a two-run homer over the left field fence to lead the Otahks to a 7-2 win.

The sweep pushed the Otahkians' record to 7-11-1 overall and 2-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference. UTM slipped to 4-13-1 and 0-2 in league play.

Southeast coach Lana Richmond said the key element in the sweep was the ability of the Otahkians to string hits together.

"This was one of the better days that we were able to string three or four hits together for a big inning," said Richmond. "We've been getting seven or eight hits a ballgame but trying to put two or three together is the key."

Southeast displayed clutch hitting in both games after a slow start in the first game. Junior Kim Palmer got the Otahkian bats going in the fourth inning of Game 1 with a leadoff double off the base of the fence in center field. Freshman Josie Earnest brought Palmer around with a one-out single to put Southeast on top 1-0.

Melissa Thornton scored without the benefit of a hit in the fifth inning. Thornton, a junior, reached on an error by the center fielder, stole two bases then scored on a wild pitch to make the score 2-0.

A two-out double by Kendra Williams later in the inning brought home the final run of the game and Engelhardt never allowed UTM to threaten the 4-0 lead.

Engelhardt (3-2) pitched all seven innings, striking out three while walking none and allowing only three hits. None of UTM's three baserunners got past second base in the game.

"It felt like everything was working well, and I knew my defense was behind me," said Engelhardt, noting her riser and changeup were most effective on the mound.

"Christine kept Martin's timing off the whole game by mixing her pitches," said Richmond. "She had a terrific game out there."

In the second game, the Otahkian bats rattled early with two runs in the first and three in the second to take early control. Back-to-back doubles by Jenny Oermann and Palmer plated the first Otahk run. Cleanup batter Kendra Williams brought home Palmer with an RBI single to put Southeast up 2-0 after one inning.

In the second inning, sophomore Erin Frazier opened the inning with a single and scored on a one-out double by freshman third baseman Tami Hebert. Sheltey came up next and lined a pitch over the fence in left field to make the score 5-0. Frazier and Earnest both went 2-for-3 in the second game.

Otahkian pitchers Sara Reichert and Debbie Schmelz made those runs hold up, limiting Martin to just two runs on nine hits. Reichert (2-3) started and pitched the first four innings for the win, allowing an unearned run in the third. Schmelz closed out the game with three solid innings on the mound, allowing a run in the seventh inning.

"Our pitchers had been struggling but I think all three of them had good outings," Richmond said. "I wanted to make sure they all got some time in because we have a crucial six-game road trip coming up this weekend."

The Otahkians start that road trip at Tennessee Tech with a Saturday doubleheader starting at noon.