Southeast softball falls to UTM, faces possibility of missing tourney

The Southeast Missouri State softball team saw its hopes of making the Ohio Valley Conference tournament take a hit Sunday.

Southeast dropped the rubber match of a three-game home series with Tennessee-Martin 7-5 as the Skyhawks scored all their runs in the fourth inning.

The Redhawks (24-25, 11-13), who dropped two of three in the series, dipped into a tie for seventh place in the 10-team OVC. The top six finishers qualify for the conference tournament.

UT-Martin (26-24, 10-9) is in fifth place.

Stacia Dopudja had three of Southeast's 12 hits, including a home run. Michelle Summers and Lauren Bradley each added two hits.

Southeast led 2-0 until the Skyhawks' fourth-inning uprising against Redhawks' ace Elaine Fisher (19-17), who was charged with all seven runs and eight hits in four innings.

Whitney Dupuis finished up with three scoreless innings, allowing four hits.

The Redhawks bounced back with three runs in the bottom of the fourth but failed to score the rest of the way.

Southeast ends its regular season this weekend with a three-game home series against Jacksonville State, which has clinched the OVC regular-season title.

The Redhawks will likely need to win at least two of the three and receive some help.

Southeast is a half-game behind sixth-place Tennessee Tech, which finishes up with a series at last-place Austin Peay.