SOUTHEAST ROUNDUP: SEMO softball off to 1-2 start

The Southeast Missouri State softball team opened its season 1-2 during the first two days of the Sand Dollar Classic on Friday and Saturday in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

The Redhawks picked up their first victory of the season in Saturday's final game, defeating Houston Baptist 10-7.

Southeast jumped out to a 5-0 advantage after two innings, and then did enough to withstand a three-run seventh inning from a rally-minded HBU to hold on for the win.

Savannah Carpenter went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, two runs scored, a double and a walk for the Redhawks, while Sarah Messex added three runs batted in and a double.

Danielle Turner and Nicole Deering each went deep for Southeast.

Haley Thogmartin went 6 1/3 innings for the Redhawks to earn the win in the circle, giving up six earned runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and four walks.

Emily Mueller gave up 11 hits and seven runs -- three earned -- to take the loss for HBU.

In Game 2 on Saturday afternoon, Southeast managed just one hit off nationally-ranked Louisiana-Lafayette, as the No. 11 Ragin' Cajuns won 8-0.

Alex Stewart and Macey Smith combined to pitch the one-hitter for the victors, allowing just four base runners.

The lone hit came off the bat of Clair Wernig in the third inning -- a single to center field.

Already up 3-0, the Ragin' Cajuns broke things open in the third inning to go up 7-0.

Southeast pitcher Mackenzie Hoelting (0-1) took the loss, giving up six hits and six runs in two innings in her first career start.

Kelsey Ihns made her pitching debut for Southeast while Aburey Denno also pitched. Each went two innings.

In Friday's opener, the Redhawks let things slip away in the third inning, as Louisiana Tech scored five runs in the frame before winning 11-2.

The Bulldogs got a leadoff double from Anna Cross and a single from Kristen Miles to put runners on the corners, and an error scored one before Taria Page plated another on a single up the middle. Katie Smith added a two-run hit and Karlee Jensen rapped in another runner to give Lousiana Tech a 6-1 edge.

The victors then added two more runs in the fourth and three more in the seventh.

Southeast got on the scoreboard first when a Savannah Carpenter single drove in Claire Wernig for a 1-0 lead. Wernig was 2-for-3 with a double and run scored on the day.

The Redhawks' second run came in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Madeline Krumrey (0-1) took the pitching loss for Southeast, giving up 11 runs on 12 hits in seven innings of work with three strikeouts and two walks.

Preslee Galloway was the winner in the circle for the Bulldogs, going six innings, striking out two and walking none while allowing five hits.

The Sand Dollar Classic featured 14 NCAA Division I programs from across the country. Today's final day of action will see Southeast face Central Arkansas at 9 a.m. and South Alabama at noon.

Track and field

The Redhawks track and field squads traveled Saturday to West Lafayette, Indiana, to compete in Purdue's Fred Wilt Invitational. There the teams captured five first-place finishes.

Southeast brought home two top spots in the 5,000-meter runs, as Marc Maton (14:28.91) and Kaitlyn Sheat (17:42.31) won the men's and women's race, respectively, while setting personal bests.

The women's 600-meter run was all Southeast, as the Redhawks swept the top three spots, with Megan Parks winning with a time of 1:38.18. That was just under half a second better than teammate Jovannie Spears (1:38.50) in second, while Miya Dorsey fell in behind that pair with a 1:43.55 third-place performance.

Off the track, Jacob Kent earned a win for the men in the high jump, posting a 1.96-meter jump.

Christian Lock was the pole vault winner with a height of 5.06 meters.

Other top-three finishes included Sierra Maddox and Haley Holton tying for third in the women's pole vault with a height of 3.61 meters. Chris Martin's triple jump distance of 14.36 meters was good for second in the men's event.

Southeast will now spend some time at home as it hosts the Redhawks Invitational on Friday.

Gymnastics

The Southeast gymnastics team traveled Saturday to Bowling Green, Ohio, where it finished third with 192.800 in a tri-meet against the host Falcons and Eastern Michigan.

EMU won the vent with a 196.375. Both Eastern Michigan and Bowling Green posted season-best team scores.

Southeast sophomore Alexis Brawner finished third in the all-around individual standings, scoring a 38.925.

She opened the event with a fifth-place 9.525 on the beam and then scored a 9.775 on the floor. She added a 9.800 on the vault -- tied for tops on the team with Ashley Thomas -- and then posted a season-high 9.825 in the final rotation on the bars.

As a team, Southeast scored 48.175 on the beam, 48.400 on the floor, 48.325 on vault and 47.9000 on bars.

The Redhawks' top performer on the beam was junior Lauren Israel, who matched a season high with 9.800. McKinzie Jones' 9.825 was the team's best on floor, Thomas matched Brawner's 9.800 on vault and along with Brawner's effort on bars, Israel posted a season-high 9.85.