Box Score

OXFORD, Ala. – The No. 6 seed Eastern Kentucky University softball team fell to No. 3 SIUE, 4-1, in the opening game of the 2017 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament on Wednesday at Choccolocco Park.
 
EKU (25-30) will play No. 7 Tennessee Tech on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. ET.
 
The game was a pitchers' duel between EKU freshman Mollie Paulick and SIUE senior Haley Chambers-Book – the reigning OVC Pitcher of the Year. Both hurlers allowed only one earned run on three hits.
 
Eastern got to Chambers-Book early, as senior Krislyn Campos led off the game with a walk and then scored from first when sophomore Rachel Minogue blasted a stand-up double into the gap in left center, making it 1-0.
 
Paulick – named to the OVC All-Newcomer Team on Tuesday night – cruised through the first two innings, but an error allowed SIUE to tie it up with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, Paulick retired the first two Cougars she faced; however, the third batter of the inning reached on another error and the following batter, Tess Eby, smacked a home run to left center to give SIUE a 3-1 lead.
 
Chambers-Book hit a solo home run to right field in the bottom of the sixth to provide an insurance run.
 
Paulick (12-11) went five innings and surrendered only one earned run on three hits while striking out three Cougars.
 
Minogue, junior Paige Murphy and sophomore Hannah Clark all recorded hits for the Colonels.
 
EKU left seven runners stranded in the loss.