The Southeast Missouri State softball team used a big rally to salvage a split of Saturday's Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader against Eastern Kentucky in Richmond, Ky.

EKU won the opener 3-2, and the Redhawks took the nightcap 7-5. Both contests were decided in eight innings.

Southeast is 10-14 overall and 3-2 in OVC play. EKU is 7-13 and 1-1. The squads will close the three-game series today.

The Redhawks trailed the nightcap 5-1 entering their final at-bat in the top of the seventh inning.

Southeast erupted for four runs to tie things on RBI singles from Kaitlin Wallace, Evan Sallis, Cheyenne Gipson and Renee Kertz.

Shelby Stein drew a two-out walk in the eighth inning, and Wallace followed with her first home run of the season to put Southeast ahead 7-5.

Taylor Cowan nailed down the victory by retiring EKU in the eighth inning. Cowan (1-4) worked two scoreless frames for her first win of the season. She allowed two hits.

Wallace had two hits and three RBIs.

Cowan and Brittany Smith both added two of Southeast's 12 hits. Lindsey Patterson homered, her second of the year.

The first game saw EKU push across a run in the bottom of the eighth inning to prevail.

Alora Marble (5-6) allowed 10 hits in going the distance in the circle. She struck out four and walked none.

Cowan had two of the Redhawks' six hits. Smith drove in both runs with her first home run.