WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
Marshall 5,
@Morehead State 1
Memphis 5,
@Murray State 4
Saint Louis 5,
@Southeast Missouri 1
@UAB 7,
Jacksonville State 4 (13)
Memphis 5,
@Murray State 4
MARSHALL 5, MOREHEAD STATE 1
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Morehead State softball team dropped a single game with non-conference opponent Marshall, 5-1, on
Wednesday at University Field.
With the loss, the Eagles fall to 24-21 overall, while the Thundering Herd improve to 30-19.
Senior pitcher Katie Pfost suffered the lost to move to 15-11 on the season. The lefty was credited with four earned runs off nine hits, and struck out four. Senior Andi Williamson (27-15) earned the complete-game win for the Herd.
At the plate, senior Sam Woodall and junior Stephanie Etter went 2-for-3, while Etter plated the lone run.
Freshman outfielder and lead-off hitter Kaelynn Green started things off for MU with a single in the first inning and came around to score the first run of the game. Marshall added to its lead in the second off a solo shot from senior Alysia Hively. The home run was her ninth of 2013.
The Herd added another home run to their season total when senior third baseman Jazmine Valle hit a three-run shot in the third inning, her fifth of the season.
MSU was able to plate its run in the contest off a triple from Etter in the sixth inning that scored junior Samantha Howard.
The Herd outhit MSU, 9-7, but only two of Marshall’s hits coming in the final four innings.
UAB 7, JACKSONVILLE STATE 4
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - In a game that started as a pitcher's duel, UAB's Anna Kimbrell hit a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 13th to give the Blazers a hard-fought 7-4 win over the Jacksonville State softball team on Wednesday evening.
JSU's Tiffany Harbin went toe-to-toe with UAB's Lauren Webster for most of the game and neither earned a decision. Harbin tossed 11 innings for the Gamecocks (26-25) and held the No. 36 team in the latest NCAA RPI to three runs, just one earned, on eight hits. She struck out seven to run her school record total to 665 in her career before making way for junior Savanna Hennings after throwing 169 pitches.
For the Blazers (35-13) Webster held JSU to two runs, one earned, on five hits through 10.1 innings before being chased in favor of Lannah Campbell.
Senior Kelci Johnston went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in the game, making her the lone Gamecock with multiple hits. The Northport, Ala., native snapped an 0-for-13 skid against the Blazers at the plate with a first inning homer.
Kimbrell carried the Blazer offense, going 2-for-5 with four RBI, while Caitlin Attfield and Whitney Fletcher each recorded three hits.
UAB struck first in the bottom of the first, using a leadoff walk to Attfield to take an early 1-0 lead. Fletcher doubled off of the top of the wall in right center to drive in the run and give UAB a short-lived lead.
Johnston knotted the score quickly, taking Webster's third pitch of the second inning deep over the wall in left center. The Northport, Ala., native's third home run of the season and the 21st of her career tied the score at 1-1 in the second.
Both Harbin and Webster dueled from that point and each got some solid defense behind them to hold the score at 1-1 until extra innings. They got through the 10th despite the International Tiebreaker Rule but JSU finally grabbed its first lead of the game in the 11th.
With pinch runner Casey Craig on second due to the tiebreaker, Ella Denes laced an opposite field double over the left fielder's head to plate Craig and give the Gamecocks a 2-1 lead in the top of the 11th. Krystal Ruth followed with a single to left and Jessica Guy a walk to load the bases with one out.
A Sara Borders grounder to third retired Denes at the plate for the second out and Savannah Sloan hit a sharp grounder to short to send the game into the bottom of the inning with JSU clinging to a 2-1 lead.
With Amy Dennis placed on second with the cleanup hitter leading off the UAB 11th, the Blazers elected not to bunt the runner over. Kate Armstrong flied out to right and Kristen McGrath popped to short for the first two outs but Kimbrell muscled a 3-2 pitch into left to tie the game.
Johnston drove in her second run of the game in the 12th with a leadoff single that drove in Sloan from second and gave the Gamecocks another lead, this one a 3-2 advantage. UAB used more two-out magic in the bottom of the inning, this time on a single by Attfield that tied it again and sent it to the 13th inning.
Attfield misplayed a Denes grounder in the top of the 13th to allow Longworth to score from third, giving JSU another one-run lead at 4-3. Attfield was placed on second to start the home half of the 13th with a chance to score the tying run and she did on a one-out single up the middle from Amy Dennis. After an Armstrong walk, Kimbrell ended the game with the walk-off homer.
Hennings (6-2) suffered the loss in relief, allowing four runs, three earned, on three hits in 1.2 innings of work. Campbell (11-5) grabbed the win in relief after giving up two unearned runs on one hit and a walk in 2.2 innings in the circle.
SAINT LOUIS 5, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -
Southeast Missouri (15-31) fell to the Saint Louis (24-19) Billikens Wednesday, 5-1, in the Redhawks annual Pink Up game to support the fight against breast cancer.
It was all Saint Louis as the Billikens scored at least one run in four separate innings and outhit Southeast, 7-5.
SLU got on the board in the second inning when Jessica Van Nostrand scored from third on an attempt to catch a runner stealing failed and dribbled into the outfield.
The Billikens scored their only earned run of the game in the third on an RBI single down the left field line by Lindsay Friedman to go ahead 2-0.
Another Redhawk error in the fourth allowed another Billiken run to score; 3-0 SLU.
Southeast finally got on the board in the fourth when Simone Patterson blasted a home run to center field, her ninth of the year, narrowing the Billiken lead to 3-1.
SLU scored two more in the fifth, the first on a Redhawk error followed by Erin Harcar driving in a run on a fielder's choice; 5-1 Saint Louis.
S. Patterson had an impressive day going 3-for-3 with a home run against the Billikens. Xia Wilson and Chelsea Smith recorded the other Redhawk hits.
Van Nostrand lead the SLU offense with two hits and two runs scored on the day.
Taylor Cowan (7-21) recorded the loss through 3.0 innings of work, giving up one earned run on five hits. Reliever Hannah Clemons pitched 4.0 innings, giving up three unearned runs on two hits.
Brianna Lore (12-13) recorded the victory through 4.0 innings, allowing one run on two hits.
MEMPHIS 5, MURRAY STATE 4; MEMPHIS 5, MURRAY STATE 3
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State softball team found itself down 5-1 in the final inning of both games of Wednesday’s doubleheader with Memphis at Central Park in Murray. In both games, the Racers rallied in the final half-inning only to fall just short and lose each contest by a 5-4 margin.
In game one, the Tigers (24-35) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Lelani Bernardino scored on a passed ball in the top of the first. The Racers (21-25), however, went on to tie the game in the next inning on a solo home run from Casey Castile, her eighth of the season.
In the third, Memphis surged to 4-1 lead when they were able to capitalize on a pair of throwing errors by the Racers and an RBI single from Bernardino. The Tigers would tack on the would-be game-winner in the sixth when Laura Curtis sent one sailing over the wall in left field.
With her team’s back to the wall, Christian Cox got the bottom of the seventh started right when she singled through the right side. Cox came home in the next at bat when Erica Howard made it 5-3 by hitting the first home run of her collegiate career.
Two batters later Alexa Becker made it a one-run game when she went yard for the 12th time this season. That would be as close as the Racers would get, as Memphis reliever Jordan Richwood struck out the next batter to clinch the win for her team.
The Racers outhit Memphis 8-5 in the game, with eight of the nine MSU starters recording hits in the contest. Benardino led the Tigers in the opener by going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and a RBI.
Ellen Roberts pitched six full innings to earn the win for Memphis by allowing two runs on six hits with two strikeouts and no walks. Shelby Kosmecki (8-17) took the loss for Murray State, as she allowed two earned runs on four hits with a strikeout and two walks over three innings. J.J. Francis closed out the game for the Racers and struck out three while allowing just one run on two hits over four innings of work.
In game two, the Racers were first on the board in the first inning when Castile scored Mo Ramsey on a sacrifice fly to right field. The score remained 1-0 until the top of the fourth when Curtis hit her second home run of the afternoon to tie the game at one all. Neither team was able to score in the final three and a half innings, so the game went to extras with the international tie breaker in effect.
In the eighth, Memphis was able to score four runs on four hits to take a 5-1 lead to the bottom of the eighth. The Racers picked up three runs in the bottom of the frame on a two-RBI single from Ellyn Troup and a RBI single from Bridges, but once again came up just short and fell 5-4.
Ramsey finished the game at 2-for-4 with two runs, while Howard went 2-for-3. Morgan Mosby led the way for Memphis by going 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs in the finale.
CheyAnne Gasey (12-8) took the loss for the Racers by allowing four earned runs on nine hits with six strikeouts and two walks. Roberts (15-23) was once again the winner for the Tigers as she threw the final two innings of the contest and allowed two earned runs on three hits with one strikeout and no walks.
The Racers will now turn their attention back to OVC play when they host Austin Peay this weekend. With its place in the conference tournament already secured, Murray State will look to lock up its current fourth place standing in the three-game series.