Southeast Missouri State softball team wins series vs. Austin Peay

The Southeast Missouri State softball team broke loose for eight doubles in a 7-4 victory over Austin Peay on Saturday to claim the three-game home series.

Harlie Wheeler and Sarah Messex both finished with two doubles for the Redhawks, who finished with 12 hits overall.

Claire Wernig, who went 4-for-4 with three runs scored, also had a double along with Haylee Krack, Abby Tillotson and Danielle Turner.

The teams had split a doubleheader on Friday, with Austin winning the opener 7-3 before Southeast bounced back with a season season-high for runs in a 15-6 win in Game 2.

Southeast's double barrage on Saturday backed the combined five-hitter by starter Haley Thogmartin and relievers Aubrey Denno and Madeline Krumrey.

Denno (1-1) picked up her first win, allowing two hits over 1 2/3 innings. She allowed two hits and one earned run.

Krumrey followed with two hitless innings for her second save, She struck out three and did not walk a batter.

Southeast scored three runs in the first inning on RBI doubles by Wheeler and Turner and a sacrifice fly by Tillotson.

Wheeler tacked on another RBI double in the second, and Tillotson had an RBI double in the third to up the lead to 5-0.

Govs starter Natalie Ayala (2-11) surrendered nine hits and six runs over three-plus innings.

Austin Peay chased Thogmartin with a three-run home run by Carly Mattson in the fourth.

Southeast upped its lead to 5-3 in the home half of the fourth on an RBI single by Wernig. After the Govs scored a run in the fifth, Krack closed out the scoring with an RBI single in the sixth.

The Redhawks improved to 15-31 overall and 9-15 in the Ohio Valley Conference by handing coach Mark Redburn his 200th career win.

Austin Peay fell to 8-36 and 4-20.

In the nightcap of Friday's doubleheader, APSU led 2-0 afer a Niya Sparks home run in the first, but the Redhawks tied it in the home half of the inning with an RBI single by Krack and a bases-loaded walk to Brittany Stevens.

The Govs went up 3-2 in the top of the second before an RBI triple by Wheeler tied it and a two-run homer by Savannah Carpenter put Southeast ahead for good.

Mackenzie Hoelting hit a two-run shot in the third to make it 7-3.

The Redhawks scored eight runs with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, capped by a two-run home run by Krack, to make it 15-4.

Sparks hit a two-run home run for the ninth home run between the two teams in the two games for the final score.

The Redhawks recorded 15 hits. Wernig, Carpenter and Krack each had three RBIs while Wheeler went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs. Hoelting also plated two.

Thogmartin picked up the pitching victory, improving to 9-9. She allowed six earned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts.

Autumn Hanners (3-15) took the loss. She lasted just 1 1/3 and allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits with two walks.

The Redhawks held an early 1-0 lead in Game 1 after an RBI double by Krack, but Danielle Liermann gave the Govs a lead they wouldn't relinquish with a grand slam in the top of the third to make it 4-1.

Southeast halved the deficit with an RBI groundout in the home half before a two-run home run by Groves in the fourth extended APSU's lead to 6-2. The Redhawks stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth. The Govs added a run in the top of the sixth and Darby Pruett hit a solo home run in the bottom half for the final score.

Krack and Wernig each went 2-for-4 as the Redhawks recorded eight hits.

Ayala (2-10) picked up the complete-game win in the circle, walking two and striking out two.

Krumrey, the starter, dropped to 5-13 with the loss. She allowed six earned runs on six hits with one walk and two strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings.