NASHVILLE, Tenn. – SIUE captured its first Ohio Valley Conference victory of the season Thursday with an 8-3 victory at Tennessee State.

The Tigers took the nightcap 9-6. With the three-game series changed to a Thursday-Friday event due to weather concerns, the two teams will finish off the set with a single game Friday starting at 11 a.m.

The Cougars, 1-9 overall and 1-4 in the OVC, jumped on the board early in game one with three runs in the first two innings and five in the final two innings.

Lexi King, who blasted her first home run of the season, earned the pitching victory in relief. King, 1-1, came into the game as SIUE and Tennessee State were tied in the fifth inning.

"I'm extremely proud of her (King) offensively and defensively," said SIUE Head Coach Jessica Jones.

SIUE jumped on TSU starter Raven Loveless, 2-5, quickly in the first inning. Alana Cobb-Adams singled to open the game and later scored on a single by Becca Duran.

Cobb-Adams provided the RBI in the second inning, driving home Kylie Lane. Rachel Quaritsch made it 3-0 when she scored in the second off an infield out from Ava Bieneman.

TSU, 5-8 overall and 1-4 in the OVC, tallied one in the fourth and tied it up in the fifth.

"They kept their composure and persevered through a lot of different situations," said Jones.

SIUE, which collected 10 hits, rallied for three runs. Cobb-Adams drew a bases-loaded walk. The Cougars added two more runs on infield outs by Bieneman and Zoe Schafer.

"Alana did a great job taking the walk there," added Jones.

King, who threw the final 2 1/3 innings, pulled the ball to right field with a one-out homer in the seventh. SIUE added one more on an TSU error, its fourth of the game, as Micah Arps scored on a batted ball from Quaritsch.

"In the first game, we hit nearly all of our team goals," said Jones. "If you focus on the process, then the outcome takes care of itself."

In game two, TSU rallied for seven runs in the sixth to push past the Cougars.

SIUE had 10 hits in the game, including solo home runs by Amber Storer and Schafer. Schafer now leads the team in home runs with four.

Bieneman and Storer led the Cougars with three hits each.

King took the loss in relief of Emily Ingles, who struck out eight for SIUE. Francys King earned the win with four innings of relief work.