Southeast Missouri State softball team ends tough season with a victory

~ The Redhawks snapped a 16-game OVC losing streak with a 5-3 win against Murray State

A difficult season ended on a high note for the Southeast Missouri State softball team Sunday.

A campaign that included a 16-game losing streak to Ohio Valley Conference opponents ended with a 5-3 victory over Murray State at the Southeast Softball Complex.

It was a bright spot in a season the Redhawks would like to forget. Southeast finished with its second-worst record in school history and failed to qualify for the OVC tournament for a third straight year.

It was not the year Southeast coach Lana Richmond has been accustomed to in becoming the winningest coach in Ohio Valley Conference history in her 31 seasons at the helm of the program.

Southeast finished at 11-34 overall and 3-20 in the OVC.

Richmond said she saw a lot of positive things such as maturity from her young players and dedication in practice from those who had to play a position they were not accustomed to.

"Even though it's not been the season they wanted, I asked them to stay positive, be respectful, come to practice every day, be ready to play, and the players have all done that," Richmond said. "They have stuck with me and we've made it through this long ride together. So for that, I'm really proud of them."

The Redhawks plated five runs on 10 hits in the win over Murray State.

Sophomore Leah Duffe continued to carry a hot bat, driving in a run and going 3 for 4 with two doubles. On Wednesday, Duffe went 7 for 7 with six RBIs in a doubleheader sweep over NAIA school Missouri Baptist.

Freshman Aubrey Denno picked up the win in the circle for Southeast. Denno allowed six hits and three earned runs over 6 2/3 innings. She struck out two in the win.

Sophomore Hannah Durham relieved in the seventh after Denno gave up two doubles and hit a batter with a pitch. Murray State had the tying run at the plate before Durham earned the save by getting Shelbey Miller to pop out to right.

The out ended an injury-plagued year for Southeast, and Richmond is focused on getting her players back to 100 percent both physically and mentally.

The Redhawks lost senior Alexis Anderson the entire season with a shoulder injury, and numerous starters missed playing time throughout the year.

At one point, near the beginning of the season, Southeast was without five starters.

Richmond said the defense never meshed after the early injuries forced her to move players out of position.

"I've asked Jamie Woodworth to play four different positions this year, and none of them were at catcher where she usually plays," Richmond said. "Then I had Lindsey Patterson who played all season with a torn labrum. They could have all quit and said, 'No,' but they didn't. They stuck with me and fought."

Patterson, Summer Burger and Rachael Duncan also suffered shoulder injuries, while sophomore Savannah Carpenter, who led the team in batting (.418) and RBIs (28), dealt with a knee injury that sidelined her for a good part of March.

Richmond said Duncan was slated to be her everyday shortstop, but once she sustained the shoulder injury she could no longer make the throw to first.

Senior outfielder Renee Terry suffered a concussion in March and said it was tough being on the sideline and watching the losses mount.

"I felt kind of helpless," Terry said. "You want to play to help your team when you're in losing situations, but it's one of those things where you just have to be a role model and a cheerleader. That's the one thing I want to pass on to the younger players, is that they know it's about the team first -- no matter what -- and not just playing for individual statistics."

The Redhawks also had inconsistent pitching. The trio of freshman pitchers, Denno, Durham and Keaira Schilling, had a combined 15.99 ERA and just 11 victories inside the circle.

Richmond said it was a learning experience for all involved.

She said her incoming recruiting class will add depth to the team's pitching and bench.

"We've got a heck of a recruiting class coming in next year," Richmond said. "We have one of the best pitchers from St. Louis coming to play for us and some speedy girls from Atlanta that we can throw in the infield or outfield."

Richmond has signed eight players. She expects Madeline Krumrey, India Davis and Shelby Echols to be impact players. Krumrey was named the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's All-Metro Player of the Year, finishing the season with a 21-3 record, a 0.95 ERA and 189 strikeouts in 140.2 innings for Eureka High School.

Davis and Echols were high school teammates outside the Atlanta-metro area. Richmond said she expects Davis to be the Redhawks everyday shortstop and Echols to play in the outfield.

Richmond said she will be busy this offseason.

"There's a lot to look over and think about," Richmond said. "I'm proud of my players, but I'm not proud of the record or the way we played at times. There are obviously things that need to be fixed and I'm the one in charge of fixing them, so that's what I plan to get started on as soon as I can."