FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 3, Tennessee State 1
Tennessee State 4, @Morehead State 2
MORHEAD STATE 3, TENNESSEE STATE 1; TENNESSEE STATE 4, MOREHEAD STATE 2
MOREHEAD, Ky. -In a battle between two teams fighting for a spot in the OVC Tournament, Morehead State and Tennessee State split Friday's doubleheader, with the host Eagles taking the first game 3-1 and the Tigers the second 4-2. It was the Eagles' Senior Day and the team honored infielder Peyton Rose, catcher/infielder Peyton Slater, first baseman Alexis Strother, manager Sara Estes and student assistant Chloe Whitlock before the first game.
In the opener, MSU got on the board first after three consecutive singles started the third inning, with Maddi Gailor's shot to center field plating Trinity Spear.
TSU answered in the fourth after a Peyton Fointno single and a pair of MSU errors allowed Anayah Baker, who had reached on an error to lead off the inning, to come home.
The Tigers returned the favor by letting a defensive miscue lead to the contest's next run. In the MSU fourth, Strother singled to lead off the inning. She moved around the bases on ground outs and then scored after a throwing error.
The hosts added an insurance run in the fifth. Like they did in the fourth, the Eagles benefitted from a leadoff single (by Gailor) and then advanced the runner on ground outs. MSU induced the Tigers to throw the ball to prevent a double steal, but Gailor ended up scoring on the play.
Lennon Spicer (6-16) got the win with a complete game. She allowed three hits and no earned runs, while walking one and striking out eight. Raven Loveless (4-15) suffered the loss after six innings that included seven hits, two earned runs, two walks and a strikeout.
Gailor, Strother and Taylor Rhea led the Eagles with two hits apiece. TSU's three hits were spread out between three different players.
In the nightcap, the Tigers jumped out to the early lead in the first after Fointno doubled to left-center and Kayli Mothershed followed with a double down the left-field line.
The visitors added a second run in the fourth after another pair of doubles, this time by Baker and Marisa Mauroschadt, with the latter's hit driving in Baker.
MSU responded in the bottom of the frame to tie the score at 2-2. Ilencia Lightbody hit a two-out double, Spear reached on a fielder's choice, with an error and wild pitch moving each up a base. Rhea followed with a single up the middle that sent Spear home.
A Jasmine Brown triple jump-started the Tigers in the fifth, before she later scored on a wild pitch. Lauren Farias drew a walk, moved all the way to third on the wild pitch and came home on a Fointno hit that fell between home plate and the circle that the Eagles were unable to get to in time.
MSU got hits in the fifth, sixth and seventh, but was unable to generate any additional runs.
Caitlyn Manus picked up the win to improve to 8-11. In a complete game, she surrendered seven hits, no earned runs and one walk, while striking out three.
Madi Ogden took the loss to fall to 1-11. She also went the distance and gave up eight hits, four earned runs and two walks. She also finished with three strikeouts.
Fointno and Mothershed paced the Tigers with two hits apiece, while Lightbody and Peyton Jordan did the same for the Eagles.
The two teams will close out the series on Saturday with a single contest at 1 p.m. ET.