Southeast sweeps pair from Indiana St.

The Southeast Missouri State softball team had not strung two wins together since the second and third games of the season.

Southeast accomplished that Wednesday, riding a walk-off single in the opener as the springboard to a doubleheader sweep of visiting Indiana State.

The 5-4 and 9-4 victories featured plenty of offense -- Southeast totalled 25 hits -- and clutch pitching by the Redhawks.

"It was good to finally get a sweep," senior Taylor Cowan said.

The two-game winning streak comes at a good time for the Redhawks, who begin Ohio Valley Conference play this weekend with a three-game series at Murray State. There will be a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday and a 1 p.m. contest Sunday.

Southeast Missouri State's Xia Wilson scores the winning run against Indiana State as Kaitlin Zink looks on in the seventh inning of the first of two games Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at the Southeast Softball Complex. Wilson scored from third base on a hit by Chelsea Smith to end the tied game 5-4. (Fred Lynch)

"We definitely needed this before conference," senior right fielder Simone Patterson said.

Southeast improved to 7-11 while ISU fell to 9-13.

"It was a good day, to get two wins right before conference," Southeast coach Lana Richmond said. "We played well and our bats came through."

Cowan continued her strong pitching in the opener as she recorded her eighth complete game of the year. She scattered nine hits and allowed three earned runs while striking out a season-high six and walking one.

Cowan's record is only 4-6, which doesn't come close to matching how well she has pitched this season. Her ERA is 2.19.

"She's pitched very well. She's had a lot of solid games," Richmond said.

Cowan, Southeast's only returning hurler with much experience in the circle, has shouldered much of the pitching load this year as Richmond has struggled to find a consistent No. 2.

Southeast’s Xia Wilson follows through on a third-inning single in Wednesday’s first game. (Fred Lynch)

"I just do what they tell me," said a smiling Cowan, whose 67 innings are more than twice what any other Southeast pitcher has thrown.

After ISU scored an unearned run in the top of the seventh inning to forge a 4-4 tie, Southeast won it in the bottom of the seventh.

Senior first baseman Xia Wilson doubled with one out and moved to third on a single by junior center fielder Alexis Anderson.

ISU threatened to escape the jam by recording a strikeout before freshman catcher Chelsea Smith came through.

Smith grounded a ball that snuck through the left side between third base and shortstop. Wilson scored easily on the walk-off single -- the first such hit of Smith's young college career.

"I really wanted to do my job," an excited Smith said. "A fantastic feeling, pulling through for my team."

Smith, who entered the doubleheader batting just .194, had a big day, going 5 for 7 with two doubles and two RBIs. She was 3 for 4 in the opener and added two hits in the nightcap, raising her average to .289, third-best on the team.

"She had a great day," Richmond said.

Southeast’s Taylor Cowan went the distance for the Redhawks in a 5-4 win over Indiana State, allowing three earned runs. (Fred Lynch)

Southeast banged out 12 hits, including three doubles.

Wilson went 3 for 3 with a double. She added a hit in the nightcap to finish the day 4 for 6.

Cowan helped herself at the plate, going 2 for 4 with two RBIs. She doubled twice and had two RBIs in the finale, finishing the day 4 for 7.

Anderson added two hits in the opener.

The Redhawks fell behind 3-0 after 2 1/3 innings in the nightcap but rallied thanks to more heavy offense and the relief pitching of former Notre Dame Regional High School standout Lauren Reinagel.

A four-run third inning that featured five hits put Southeast ahead for good at 4-3. All the runs scored with two outs.

Patterson drilled a monster three-run homer to right field that tied things. It was just the second home run of her two-year Southeast career -- both coming in the past three games.

"It's a good feeling," Patterson said. "We had a lot of good hitting from everyone."

Cowan's RBI double capped the third-inning outburst as Southeast surged in front. The Redhawks would add plenty of insurance later.

Reinagel, a junior who starred the past two years at Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff, Mo., has struggled early in her Southeast career although in very limited action. Her ERA was 12.92 in just 4 1/3 innings spanning five appearances. She had allowed 10 hits.

Reinagel put all that behind her Wednesday. She relieved freshman starter Hannah Clemons, who allowed three runs and four hits in 2 2/3 innings, and held ISU in check the rest of the way to notch her first collegiate win.

Reinagel (1-0) worked the final 4 1/3 innings, giving up one run and three hits. She struck out two and did not walk a batter.

"It was exciting to get some time on the mound and bond with my teammates," Reinagel said.

Richmond said Reinagel was set back some because she did not begin school at Southeast until the second semester, meaning she missed all of fall practice.

"It was good to see Lauren come in and pitch like that. This was a good outing," Richmond said.

Southeast collected 13 more second-game hits, including the homer and four doubles. The Redhawks boosted their team average to .263 after they began the day at .240.

"Twenty-five hits, that's a good, productive day," Richmond said. "We got a lot of two-out hits."

Sophomore DP Lindsey Patterson doubled in each game. She was 3 for 4 in the nightcap and finished the day 4 for 7.

Senior shortstop Kaitlin Zink had two hits in the second contest and ended the day with three hits.

Freshman third baseman Savannah Carpenter, after going hitless in the opener, added two hits in the nightcap. She leads Southeast with a .321 average.