Southeast tries to end nine-game skid, claim a spot in OVC tour

The season for Southeast Missouri State's softball team will basically come down to its final four games -- all at home -- in a span of three days, beginning today.

Southeast plays Eastern Illinois at 3 p.m. today in a single contest, then faces Austin Peay in a three-game weekend series. There will be a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday and a 1 p.m. game Sunday.

Less than three weeks ago, the Redhawks were riding high with a 10-4 Ohio Valley Conference record that had them in second place and on the heels of the conference leader.

But nine consecutive losses later have the Redhawks (22-25, 10-13) fighting for survival as they try to avoid missing the OVC tournament for the first time since joining the league.

The top six finishers in the 10-team conference qualify for the league tournament, to be held at the regular-season champion -- most likely Jacksonville State -- next week.

Southeast is in a sixth-place tie, along with Eastern Kentucky, which finishes its season this weekend with a three-game series at second-place Samford.

Today's opponent, Eastern Illinois (12-11, 15-28), is tied for fourth place. The Panthers close with a three-game series at home against Tennessee-Martin, also tied for fourth.

While Southeast has to not only fend off Eastern Kentucky for the sixth spot, the Redhawks also still have to worry about this weekend's opponent. Austin Peay (16-35, 9-13) is looming just a half-game behind, along with Morehead State, which closes with three games against third-place Tennessee Tech.

"I feel we have to win our last four conference games," Southeast coach Lana Richmond said. "With three out of four, we'll probably have a good chance of getting in, but we really need to solidify it with four."

Not only are the Redhawks -- who won five straight OVC titles from 1995 to 1999 -- trying to battle their way into the conference tournament, they're trying to avoid a fourth consecutive losing overall record.

Since Richmond took over the program in 1983, Southeast had never finished below .500 until 2002. The Redhawks have not seen the break-even point since then, although their current record is considerably better than last year's low-water mark of 16-36.

Two freshmen continue to lead the Redhawks offensively.

Megan McDonald, a Central High School graduate, is first in batting average at .359. She is also second in doubles (11), tied for second in home runs (5) and third in runs batted in (22).

Michelle Summers, a California native, is second with a .340 average, while leading in homers (9) and doubles (13). She is also tied for first in RBIs (24). Summers has the second-highest single-season home run total in school history and is just two off the record of 11, set by Kim Palmer in 1998.

Sophomore Lindsay Pickering is Southeast's other hitter above .300 as she is batting .328, while senior Kelly Birk (.282) is tied for second in homers (5) and tied for first in RBIs (24).

Another freshman, Elaine Fisher, has Southeast's top earned-run average at 1.63, while compiling a 5-5 record.