Nick Kendall
Staff Writer
nkendall1@murraystate.edu
Over the weekend, Murray State softball traveled to Carbondale, Illinois, to partake in the SIU Coach B Classic, where they went 2-2.
Game 1:
Murray State faced Northern Kentucky University in game one. While both teams had seven hits, the Norse turned more of them into runs resulting in a 3-1 victory over the Racers.
The game was scoreless until the third inning when Northern Kentucky’s freshman first baseman Jordan Jenkins scored a runner on third base on an RBI.
Junior outfielder Logan Braundmeier tied the game in the fifth inning with an RBI-double, driving in junior outfielder Jensen Striegel.
The Norse were able to put up two more runs, one in the sixth and the deciding run in the seventh.
Freshman Jenna Veber was given the loss and is 2-3 on the season. She struck out three batters and finished with a 3.0 ERA.
Game 2:
The Racers stepped it up in game two with a 10-2 victory over Creighton University on Saturday, Feb. 29.
In the first inning, junior infielder Sierra Gilmore blasted her fifth homerun of the season, giving Murray State the early 3-0 lead.
Gilmore gave the Racers and even larger lead in the third inning with an RBI double that scored sophomore utility Lindsey Carroll. Sophomore catcher Alie Kennedy scored Gilmore on a sacrifice fly.
The Racers tacked on four more runs in the fourth with a grand-slam from senior infielder Lexi Jones. The Eldersburg, Maryland, native is the first Murray State player to record four career grand slams.
In the seventh inning, freshman infielder Lily Fischer scored the final run on an error from the Bluejays.
Sophomore pitcher Hannah James improved to a 5-2 record and set a new career high in strikeouts, earning 11.
Head Coach Kara Amundson was pleased to see improvement from the shutout in the last game.
“It wasn’t a great Racer softball show yesterday,” Amundson said. “We talked about how we were willing to respond as a team, I think our bats came alive really early and often… the offense definitely won the game today.”
Game 3:
Murray State kept the streak going in game three with a 5-2 win over Purdue Fort Wayne.
Jones put the Racers on the board first with an RBI-single that drove in Gilmore.
In the third inning, Striegel’s smart base running allowed her to score from third base.
In the top half of the fifth, Carroll doubled the lead with an RBI double that brought Braundmeier and Striegel across the plate.
Both of the Mastodons’ runs came in the sixth inning, one from an RBI-single and the other on an error by Murray State.
Freshman utility Mashea Glover put the game further out of reach after taking advantage of an error by Purdue Fort Wayne.
Veber picked up her third win of the season. She finished the game with five strikeouts and a 1.0 ERA. Senior pitcher Taylor Makowsky picked up the save.
Game 4:
The Racers kept it close against Southern Illinois, but the Salukis were able to come out ahead 8-6.
Fischer got scoring started in the second for Murray State with an RBI-single, scoring Glover. Fischer scored later in the same inning from an error.
A hitting spree from the Salukis helped the team take a 4-2 by the end of the third inning.
An RBI-single from Carroll in the fourth inning scored two runs for the Racers.Gilmore followed it up with an RBI-single of her own, increasing the lead to 6-4.
The Salukis stalemated the game in the seventh inning, causing the game to go into extra innings.
Southern Illinois’s Kyleigh Decker smashed a walk-off two-run homerun to win the game for the Salukis.
Murray State is now preparing for a matchup against Missouri State University to begin the Oklahoma State University Mizuno Classic at noon on Friday, March 6, in Stillwater, Oklahoma.