Redhawks softball sweeps Southern Illinois, improve to 7-1 in conference play

The SEMO softball team swept the Sunday double header against Southern Indiana at the Southeast softball complex by scores of 11-0 and 5-4 following consecutive walk off hits and a shut-out from senior pitcher Marisa Davis.

In the first game of the afternoon, senior shortstop Alyson Tucker started the offense in the bottom of the first with an RBI single. Tucker wouldn’t stop there, recording seven total RBI’s and ending the game on a mercy rule walk off grand slam in the bottom of the fifth.

Tucker said she kept her approach simple, and the results speak for themselves.

“I was just looking to get under it and get on base and it just happened to go over the fence, that’s really all there was to it,” Tucker said.

Senior pitcher Marisa Davis pitched a two-hit shut-out, striking out seven batters through five innings pitched.

According to Davis she struggled with her usual typical go-to pitches so she had to rely on her secondary pitches.

“Usually my best pitch is my screwball, but it wasn’t really working today so I just had to go back to my drop ball and luckily it was on today.”

Southeast’s second contest of the day started 30 minutes after Tucker’s walk off with most of SEMO’s offense starting later in the game.

SEMO would not score until the bottom of the fifth inning where sophomore Sydney Dennis hit a lead off triple and cut the USI lead to 2-1 after a wild pitch.

The next inning, the USI center-fielder could only look up and watch as sophomore Aubrey Shore hit a game tying home-run off of the batter’s eye in center field.

USI would score two in the top of the second, but with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the hero of the first game Alyson Tucker would deliver yet again.

Tucker hit a two RBI double, giving her nine RBIs for the day, and tying the game.

Junior Abigale Rickerman would walk the game off for the Redhawks, driving in freshman outfielder Brittany Affolter who was rushed by a swarm of Redhawks after she beat the tag at home.

Redhawks coach Redburn said he’s proud of the way his players stepped up late in the game.

“Our first two hitters [in the seventh inning] got on base, they did their job. So we played it the right way and that was big with Abby Rickerman and Brittany, our freshman scoring from second base.”

The Redhawks travel across the river at 3 p.m. on Tuesday March 28 to take on regional rival Southern Illinois Salukis in Carbondale, Ill.