Jakob Milani
Staff Writer
jmilani@murraystate.edu
A 16-inning game highlighted the weekend as the Murray State softball team won its series over the Tennessee State University Tigers two games to one.
The teams played a total of 30 innings over the weekend, with the Racers leading in 12 innings and the Tigers leading in two . The remaining 16 innings were tied between the two teams.
Game One
Graduate right-hander Taylor Makowsky got the start on the mound for the Racers in game one. After a strikeout to start the game, the Tigers hit back-to-back singles on Makowsky. However, she was able to shut down the next two batters, leaving the Tigers scoreless after the top of the first inning.
The Racers immediately got to work in the bottom of the first inning, scoring two runs off singles from sophomore shortstop Sierra Gilmore and junior second baseman Lindsey Carroll. After the first inning, the Racers led the Tigers 2-0.
The Tigers struck back in the top of the second inning when sophomore designated hitter Ivory Jones hit a homerun on the first pitch of the inning. Though the Tigers had one more hit in the inning, Makowsky managed to get out of the inning by giving up just one run, making the score 2-1 in favor of the Racers.
The score remained 2-1 until the bottom of the fourth inning when senior right fielder Logan Braundmeier scored on an error committed by the Tigers, giving the Racers a 3-1 lead.
Sophomore right-hander Jenna Veber came in to pitch in the fifth inning after Makowsky walked back-to-back batters. Veber struck out five batters in the last three innings and did not allow a hit from the Tigers. Her closing performance gave the Racers a 3-1 win, marking Makowsky’s fourth win of the year and Veber’s fourth save of the year.
Game Two
Game two was a 16-inning marathon, dominated by great pitching from both teams. Junior right-hander Hannah James was the starting pitcher for the Racers in game two, not allowing a hit until the third inning. Afterwards, the Tigers only had two other hits against James, one in the fifth inning and another in the eighth.
The Tigers started freshman right-hander Francys King, who went the distance in the game. King gave up a hit in the first, second, and fifth innings but managed to hold the Racers scoreless throughout the regulation seven innings.
Both teams remained at a 0-0 tie heading into double digit innings. Veber came in to pitch for James in the eleventh inning and was tasked with holding the Tigers scoreless for as long as possible.
However, the Tigers were the first to strike in the 14 inning when freshman pinch runner M’Lei Woodard scored on a fielding error by the Racers, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
The Racers didn’t go down without a fight as they scored a run of their own in the bottom of the 14th inning. Junior catcher Allie Kennedy hit a sacrifice fly to right field, giving graduate Lexi Jones time to score from third base, tying the game at 1-1.
The game went on with neither team scoring in the 15th inning. The Tigers changed that in the 16 inning when they scored again. Freshman third baseman Anayah Baker-Rowell tripled to right center which brought home graduate first baseman Renae Spears to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead. King held the Racers scoreless in the bottom of the 16th, leading to a 2-1 victory in favor of the Tigers. The loss marked Veber’s seventh loss of the season.
Game Three
Game three was the decider in the series as both teams were tied at one game a piece. James started on the mound for the Racers and made it to just the second inning before giving up a run. Sophomore center fielder Marissa Mauroschadt tripled to left field, bringing in freshman shortstop Peyton Fointno to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
The Racers came back in the bottom of the third with three runs of their own, first with a single from Braundmeier to bring home freshman catcher Taylor Jackson which tied the game at 1-1. Afterwards, a single from Gilmore brought home Braundmeier and sophomore left fielder Chloe Jacque to give the Racers a 3-1 lead.
Veber took over for James in the third inning and pitched well until the fourth inning. The Tigers answered the Racers’ scoring with a homerun from Jones to make the score 3-2. After the homerun, Veber was able to shut down the Tigers’ offense for the rest of the game, securing the series for the Racers.
The Racers defeated the Tigers in game three by a score of 3-2, marking Veber’s fifth win ofthe season.
Across 30 innings played over the weekend, the Racers had 24 hits and three walks, scoring a total of seven runs across the three games. The Tigers had 18 hits and one walk, scoring a total of five runs all weekend.
The Racers improve to 14-15 on the season and 11-3 in the conference. The Racers will play Middle Tennessee State University at 4 p.m. at home on Tuesday, March 30.