Story by Zach Scott, Staff writer
Amidst recent struggles, Murray State’s softball team picked up two huge conference wins Friday, beating Belmont University (22-17) 1-0 and 4-3 in Nashville.
Belmont
Game One:
The Racers (12-30) received a masterful pitching performance from senior pitcher Haven Campbell in the first game, throwing a one-hit shutout.
In Campbell’s seven-inning masterpiece, she only allowed two base runners throughout the whole game, when she walked senior infielder Lexi Rouse and gave up a double to freshman outfielder Alicia Veltri. Campbell ended the game with three strikeouts while only walking one.
The Racers only run came in the sixth inning, when freshman catcher Macey Hale launched a 2-0 pitch over the centerfield wall.
Head Coach Kara Amundson said moments like these are why she recruited Hale.
“I think everyone got pretty pumped, honestly it’s why we recruited her, we knew that she has a big bat, so to come out and put us up 1-0 with a shot like that was huge,” Amundson said.
Hale finished the day 1-for-3 with two strikeouts but had the deciding homerun to seal the win for the Racers. Junior catcher Madison Culver finished the first game 2-for-3 with a double.
Game Two:
Despite being down three runs after two innings in the second game against the Bruins, the Racers scored four unanswered runs to edge out the 4-3 win.
Amundson was proud of her team for being able to overcome the early deficit, something that they had struggled to do all season.
“To come from behind and get a tough win, it felt like something finally fell into place for us,” Amundson said.
Murray State put its first run on the board in the top of the third when Culver hit a two-out single. This scored senior infielder Erika Downey to cut the deficit down to 3-1.
After holding the Bruins scoreless for the next two innings, junior infielder Lillie Goetz singled to right field, scoring junior infielder Brenna Finck and Downey to knot the game up at three apiece.
In the top of the sixth, with two outs and bases loaded, Culver was able to draw a walk, scoring Feeney and giving the Racers the deciding run to give them the 4-3 win.
Junior pitcher Grace Vaughn got the start in the circle in the second game, lasting one and one third innings, giving up the three runs that the Bruins scored. Campbell came in to relieve Vaughn, pitching five and two thirds scoreless innings on top of her seven-inning shutout just a few hours before.
Downey finished the game 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Freshman outfielder Logan Braundmeier did her part out of the eighth hole, going 2-for-4 with a double.
Amundson was finally happy to see what can happen when her team can pitch and hit well on the same night.
“I’ve been telling this team all year that once this team starts to click we can be super deadly,” Amundson said.
The Racers will look to capitalize off of the two OVC wins when they play a double header against Tennessee State (3-39) at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday in Nashville, Tennessee.
Tennessee State
The Racers (14-30) winning ways continued into Saturday as they beat Tennessee State (3-41) in both games of the doubleheader 7-1 and 11-3.
Game One:
Twenty-four hours after throwing a one-hit shutout against Belmont, senior pitcher Haven Campbell took the circle again. This time Campbell threw seven innings against Tennessee State, only giving up one run on four hits. Campbell finished the game with four strikeouts and one walk.
The Racers’ bats were quiet for the majority of the game, only scoring two runs through the first six innings. Murray State finally had its bats come alive in the seventh inning, scoring five runs to give it the comfortable 7-1 win over the Tigers.
Murray State got on the board in the third inning when junior infielder Brenna Finck singled and scored freshman outfielder Logan Braundmeier.
The Racers tacked on one more run in the top of the sixth to make it 2-0 when junior catcher Madison Culver hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring junior infielder Lillie Goetz.
Tennessee State was able to score a run in the bottom of the sixth to cut its deficit to 2-1 but the Racers shut the door on the Tigers in the top of the seventh.
Starting a one-out rally in the seventh inning, senior infielder Erika Downey singled to center field, scoring freshman outfielder Jensen Striegel. In the next at bat, Goetz singled to center field scoring Finck and Braundmeier. Culver capped off the 7-1 win for the Racers with a double to left field, scoring Downey and Goetz.
Culver finished the game 1-for-3, bringing in three RBIs. Goetz went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Braundmeier also contributed with a 2-for-3 clip with two runs scored.
Game Two:
The Racers wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in the second game, scoring three runs in the top of the first, thanks to a Goetz double that scored Downey and Finck.
The Tigers were able to answer back in the bottom of the third inning, when they scored three runs to tie the game up at three apiece.
Goetz managed to overcome the Tigers’ three-run inning with a two-run homerun in the top of the fifth, scoring Downey.
Freshman catcher Macey Hale hit her second homerun in as many days, this a solo shot to left field in the top of the sixth inning. Later in the sixth inning, Downey singled, scoring Finck and Braundmeier. Goetz capped off the big sixth inning for the Racers with an RBI single to right field that scored Downey to make the score 9-3 in favor of the Racers.
The Racers’ hot bats continued in the seventh inning with a Braundmeier double, scoring sophomore outfielder Kristen Bialek. With two outs, Feeney hit an RBI single, scoring Braundmeier.
Junior pitcher Grace Vaughn got the start inside the circle, going nearly three innings striking out and walking two apiece. Sophomore pitcher Ellison Barrett came in relief for Vaughn, pitching four and one thirds innings, striking out three and not issuing a walk.
Goetz had a game to remember, finishing 4-for-4 with five RBIs and scoring two runs. Downey finished the game 4-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored. Braundmeier contributed to the hit fest for the Racers, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
The Racers finished the weekend road trip 4-0, something that Head Coach Kara Amundson emphasized to her team.
“This was a huge weekend for us, we talked about it coming into the weekend, we needed to come home 4-0,” Amundson said.
Campbell pitched amazingly against Belmont and Tennessee State over the weekend, something that Amundson knew that Campbell could do.
“I can’t say enough about Haven Campbell and the defense behind her this weekend,” Amundson said.
The final stop of Murray State’s road trip is with Morehead State, when they play at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Tuesday, April 24, in Morehead, Kentucky.