Murray State
UT Martin
Racers Drop Two to OVC Leading UT Martin
3/31/2010 12:45:00 AM | Softball
The Murray State softball team dropped a pair of mid-week Ohio Valley Conference games to UT Martin. The Racers (7-17, 2-4 OVC) lost 6-0 in the opening game before falling 11-3, in five innings in the second game to the Skyhawks (16-4, 7-0 OVC).
Freshman Ellyn Troup led MSU with three hits on the day, including a double in game two. Sophomore Megan Glosser added two hits, while junior Taylor Wilson and freshman Kaitlyn England each recorded one.
All four of the Racer pitchers saw action in the circle, with freshman Starr Gilley earning three strike outs.
Game 2 - UT Martin 11, Murray State 3
The Racers got on the scoreboard early in the second game, coming out and scoring one run in the top of the first. Sophomore Megan Glosser started the game by reaching on an error by the Skyhawks' third baseman and then stole second. Freshman Ellyn Troup then hit a shot down the right-field line that allowed Glosser to score from second and give MSU a 1-0 advantage.
Freshman Kaitlyn England was the first batter up for the Racers in the top of the second and hit a home run over the left-field fence on the first pitch of the inning. The homer was the fourth on the season and just the fourth given up on the year by Skyhawks pitcher, Paij Lintz.
However, UTM then took control of the game with a six-run second inning to take a 6-2 lead. The Skyhawks added four runs in the bottom of the fourth to go up 10-2.
The Racers responded in the top of the fifth. Glosser hit a single back at the pitcher, with one out, and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Two batters later Troup hit a shot up the middle to score Glosser.
The Skyhawks added a run in the bottom of the fifth inning to force the eight-run rule into effect and end the game.
Game 1 - UT Martin 6, Murray State 0
The Skyhawks struck in their first at bat, with two runs in the bottom of the first. The lead grew to 4-0 after the second inning, 5-0 after the fourth and 6-0 after the fifth.
The Racers had scoring opportunities in the top of the fourth and the sixth as both lead-off hitters singled, but the UTM defense stepped up and did not allow a run to cross the plate.
The Racers will return to action this weekend when they travel to Cookeville, Tenn., for an OVC series with Tennessee Tech, April 2-3. Friday, April 2 will be a double header at Tech Softball Field starting at 1 p.m., with Saturday, April 3 seeing a 1 p.m. start for a single game. The Racers will then return home to play Trevecca Nazarene in a make-up date, Monday, April 5. The teams will play a double header starting at 2 p.m. at Racer Field at Murray-Calloway County Park.
