FINAL STATS

CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Jacksonville State softball team used a 9-5 win over Southeast Missouri State on Sunday morning to claim the 2011 Ohio Valley Conference Championship and earn the Gamecocks' fourth-straight berth in the NCAA Regional.

The second-seeded Gamecocks (39-19) overcame a heartbreaking loss to the fifth-seeded Redhawks on Saturday night by bouncing back to eliminate SEMO in the winner-take-all final of the double-elimination bracket. JSU advances to next week's NCAA Regionals and will find out their destination and opponent at 9 p.m. tonight on the NCAA Selection Show on ESPNU.

Sophomore Krystal Ruth went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored to account for almost half of JSU's seven hits, while sophomore Hilary Phillips tossed 6.2 solid innings out of the bullpen to earn her seventh win in as many decisions this season. She relieved freshman Tiffany Harbin after she got in trouble in the first inning of her fourth start of the tournament.

Harbin finished the tournament with a 1.69 earned run average and a 2-1 record to earn Tournament MVP honors. The Hazel Green, Ala., native struck out 29 batters in 20.2 innings over the weekend, including a no-hitter of SEMO in Friday's semifinal. She led four Gamecocks on the All-Tournament Team, one that featured Ruth, freshman Hayden Crawford and senior Sallie Beth Burch.

Crawford, a native of Sparkman, Ala., went 4-for-9 with four RBI over the four-game stretch, while Ruth finished the weekend with a .429 average and three RBI. Burch hit .400 in 10 at bats and drove in two runs.

Taylor Cowan (6-8) suffered the loss in the circle for Southeast Missouri after allowing four runs on two hits and four walks in 0.2 innings of work. Stefanie Barnes tossed 3.2 frames and gave up a run on one hit and one walk.

The Redhawks started the top of the first with a pair of singles that put Evan Sallis and Shelby Kuryllo on with no outs, but JSU limited the damage. SEMO managed just a sacrifice fly from Carmen Fowler to take a 1-0 lead into the middle of the first inning.

The Gamecocks answered in their half of the frame, loading the bases with no outs and plating four. Kristin Graham drove in Krystal Ruth with a ground out and then Abbey Stepp and Hayden Crawford drew bases-loaded walks to push runs across. An Alora Marble pitch got away from Kuryllo behind the plate, allowing Kaycee Crow to score and give JSU the 4-1 lead.

SEMO got one back in the second after a one-out single and stolen base by Kaitlin Wallace set up a two-out single from Sallis that cut JSU's lead to 4-2.

JSU stretched its lead to 8-2 with a four-run third inning that was highlighted by a two-run single from Ruth that plated Stepp and Crawford. Crawford started the scoring with an RBI single of her own, while the Gamecocks' other run came on a bases-loaded ground ball by Tess Echols.

Kuryllo was able to put one more on the board for SEMO in the top of the fourth, when her two out single to center drove in Shelby Stein, who reached on a pinch-hit single.

The Gamecocks used a little small ball to tack one on in the bottom of the fifth, an inning that was started by Crawford. The freshman was hit by a pitch and then stole second, her 10th swipe in as many attempts this season. Echols dropped her 11th sacrifice bunt of the season to put Crawford in position to score on a Stefanie Barnes wild pitch.

SEMO didn't go quietly in the seventh, plating two on a pair of bases-loaded walks before being retired to give JSU its third tournament title in four years.

Kuryllo went 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Sallis added a 2-for-4 outing to lead SEMO at the plate.